“The colorful beads and butterfly hair clips that marked the teenage style of Venus Williams were gone. From the moment she strode onto Center Court today, the streamlined 20-year-old with the Paul Bunyan backswing had the look of a serious young woman. A scowl was as good as any accessory.

Anyone who watched Venus Williams compete on the WTA Tour over the past three decades had to come away with at least one immutable truth. She is a fighter. Many of the tennis pundits and even Venus' most ardent supporters had to believe that the 2024 Miami Open would be her final hurrah.