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

WASHINGTON — After Venus Williams' four-matches-in-four-days return to professional tennis was over, after she was loudly feted by appreciative fans even after a loss in singles, the D.C. Open stadium announcer offered a thought: "We're never going to say goodbye to Venus Williams, are we?" he said.

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.

Magdalena Frech and Magda Linette won their opening matches and advanced to the second round of the WTA hard-court tennis tournament in Washington (prize pool $1.28 million). Both must wait for their next opponents to emerge.

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.

Venus Williams admitted she simply didn't have enough in the tank to compete against Magdalena Frech but also noted that she was "grateful" with how her comeback week in Washington went. On Thursday night in Washington, 27-year-old Frech needed just an hour and 13 minutes to beat the 45-year-old American 6-2 6-2.

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