Venus Williams' return to professional tennis will not just be a one-tournament visit: She was awarded a wild-card entry on Wednesday for next month's Cincinnati Open.

The 45-year-old Williams is participating in her first event in more than a year this week at the DC Open and won first-round matches in both singles and doubles.

Her 6-3, 6-4 victory over 23-year-old Peyton Stearns on Tuesday night made Williams the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match. Martina Navratilova was 47 when she picked up her last singles victory in 2004.

She'll play Magdalena Frech of Poland on Thursday in Washington.

The Cincinnati Open begins on Aug. 5 and is a hard-court tuneup for the U.S. Open.

Caty McNally, the only player to take a set off champion Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon, also was given a wild card for Cincinnati on Wednesday.