Venus Williams faced a defeat in doubles at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, exiting the quarterfinals alongside Hailey Baptiste after a closely contested match against Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai, finishing 6-4, 3-6, 10-6. Despite this setback, Williams received encouraging news during the match: she earned a wild card entry to the Cincinnati Open, set for next month.

Williams remains active in the singles draw at the DC Open and will extend her summer schedule with the Cincinnati event ahead of the US Open. Alongside American Caty McNally, she secured a singles wild card. Additionally, Williams is on the entry list for the US Open mixed doubles tournament, partnering with Reilly Opelka.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion is coming off a significant singles victory over Peyton Stearns, 6-3, 6-4, marking her first WTA-level singles win since 2023. However, she and Baptiste could not carry that momentum through doubles on Wednesday, succumbing in the match tiebreak to the No. 2 seeds Townsend and Zhang.

At the start of the tournament, Williams teamed with Baptiste to defeat fellow wild cards Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue. Baptiste, recalling her early connection to Williams, said, “I went to the Kastles one year with the WTEF, and I got to play doubles with Venus there. I think I was four or five years old.”

The duo attracted notable attention, including NBA star Kevin Durant among the spectators. Williams reflected on that moment with a smile: “I was, like, ‘I want to show KD what I can do. Hit the ball to me.’ They hit every ball to you. I was, like, ‘Okay, whatever. However we win is fine.’”

While Baptiste fell to 2020 US Open champion Sofia Kenin in singles, her strong form continues, bolstered by the experience and guidance of a multi-major and Olympic champion like Williams.

Holger Rune has strengthened his team by hiring Marco Panichi, a fitness coach with a distinguished track record working alongside Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner. Panichi served as Djokovic’s fitness trainer from 2017 until April 2024 and subsequently joined Sinner’s team in September 2024. However, Sinner parted ways with Panichi and physiotherapist Ulises Badio just before Wimbledon 2025, where Sinner won his fourth Grand Slam title.

Aneke Rune, Holger’s mother and manager, confirmed Panichi’s addition to Holger’s squad, underscoring the trainer’s comprehensive expertise. “He brings enormous experience – not just in the physical aspect, but everything related to building a Grand Slam winner. That takes the idea up another notch,” she said. Aneke highlighted the longstanding positive relationship between Panichi and Holger, describing Panichi as “a huge capacity to have in the team.”

Panichi’s approach, shaped during his time with Djokovic, involves active participation in training sessions, which aligns with Rune’s team philosophy. According to reports, Panichi will begin working with Rune at the Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati starting August 7.

Separately, Sinner commented on his decision to move on from Panichi and Badio, stating, “No, nothing major happened. Nothing big happened. I parted ways not long ago, but it’s not affecting me. We’ve reached incredible results in the past with them, so obviously huge thanks to them. We made some great job, but I decided to do something different.”

In addition to this staffing update, Rune recently disclosed seeking advice from tennis legend Andre Agassi. Speaking in Washington ahead of the ATP 500 tournament, Rune remarked, “He’s an amazing man, first of all, and he’s very wise, as well. He sees the game in a unique way that I’ve never experienced before.”

Rune noted the timing was intentional, citing a return to form after a period of coaching changes: “When you’re changing coaches a lot, you don’t play as well because you’re not following one opinion or a single structure. I thought this was the right time to get some extra input. It’s not anything magic, but he obviously had some very wise words I can use.”