Veteran tennis star Venus Williams managed to beat a top-20 player for the first time in four years.

She defeated Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova in Cincinnati.

Williams fought back from a double break down in each set to win 6-4, 7-5, against 16th-ranked Kudermetova.

The seven-time major singles champion smiled broadly as she celebrated her personal achievement at a US tournament and said “I love this game, it’s what I do.”

Williams will play China’s Qinwen Zheng or Belarus’ Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round.