Britain’s Emma Raducanu reached the brink of her first WTA final since winning the 2021 US Open, ousting Greece’s Maria Sakkari, 6-4, 7-5, on Friday (Saturday in Manila) at the DC Open.

WASHINGTON—There are plenty of reasons why this particular victory by Venus Williams in this particular tennis match—just one of hundreds—resonated with so many folks. That she’s 45, for one thing.