Venus Williams has said she is at her best level so far this year after defeating Veronika Kudermetova at the Western & Southern Cincinnati Open in Ohio, her first win against a top-20-ranked player since 2019.

Tennis legend Williams feels she is going in the right direction after her win against world No. 16 Kudermetova at the WTA 1000 event. The 43-year-old has not recorded any wins against a top 20 player since she won against fifth seed Kiki Bertens at the same tournament four years ago.

Williams was down a double break in both the first and second sets, but was able to use her vast experience to fight back and progress to the Round of 32, winning 6-4, 7-5.

This victory is a great sign for the seven-time Grand Slam champion following her struggles with injury earlier this season. Williams missed several months at the start of the year after suffering a hamstring injury in January at the ASB Classic in Auckland.

The former world No. 1 then hurt her knee after a nasty fall in her first-round match at Wimbledon, contributing to her early exit from the Slam.

These disruptions mean that her match in Cincinnati is only the third match she has won on the WTA Tour this year, but Williams is optimistic as she looks toward the remainder of the season.

Speaking after the match, Williams said she feels as though her level has improved since earlier on in the season and that she wants to play as many matches as possible to improve further.

"I think I’m at a better level than I started the year, to be honest," she said.

"My serve is better. The second serve was better. It’s really about playing matches. You cannot replicate it. Especially after you take a large amount of time off. You have to keep putting yourself in that position to just play."

"I’m fine game-wise, but playing matches is a different ball game," she added.

At 43 years old, Williams is currently the oldest player in the WTA rankings and is showing no signs of slowing down as she prepares to compete at the US Open in less than two weeks, saying she still has '"something to give."

Williams will face either Zheng Qiwen or Aliaksandra Sasnovich in her next round at the Cincinnati Open.