SportsLine tennis expert Blake Von Hagen reveals his 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open picks for Thursday's women's second-round match between Magdalena Frech and Venus Williams

The D.C. Open will not be a one-stop hello-and-farewell appearance for 45-year-old Venus Williams. She had been away from the tour for 16 months before showing up in Washington this week and winning once each in singles and doubles.

Venus Williams couldn't pull off another upset in Washington and exited the tournament in the round-of-16, while No. 1 seed Jessica Pegula picked up a shock loss in her opening match.

Venus Williams has been given a wildcard for the Cincinnati Open, which kicks off on August 7. The 45-year-old returned to tour at the Washington Open winning her first match in sixteen months before her loss in the second round.

Emma Raducanu and Elena Rybakina handled the business in singles but had to retire from their Washington doubles semifinal. On Friday, the British tennis player defeated Maria Sakkari 6-4 7-5 to reach the Citi Open semifinal. Meanwhile, the Kazakh ousted Magdalena Frech 6-3 6-3.

Venus Williams’ recent singles win at the D.C. Open showcased her longevity and brought attention to health coverage for aging athletes following a joking comment she made in an on-court interview.

Magdalena Frech was the villain of the piece in Washington, but made sure she won the crowd over after knocking Venus Williams out of the Citi Open. Williams, a tennis icon who has won seven Grand