Tennis legend Venus Williams is coming to Dallas, and fans will have the rare chance to see her play against a top-ranked American player. Williams will take on Danielle Collins in the Dallas Open's inaugural Women’s Tennis Classic Showcase, 7 pm Saturday, February 4, 2023 at SMU.

Williams and No. 14-ranked Collins will play a best of three singles exhibition match with a tie-break for the third. The match will take place at the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex at SMU, home of the Dallas Open from February 4-12, 2023.

“We are thrilled to announce that Venus Williams will join us in our inaugural showcase of women’s tennis at the 2023 ATP Dallas Open, playing in the Women’s Tennis Classic,” says Peter Lebedevs, Dallas Open tournament director, in a release. “In addition to some of the best names in the sport expected to compete in the ATP Dallas Open, having a legend like Venus join us just adds to a fantastic week of tennis."

A former world No. 1 in both doubles and singles, Williams has won seven Grand Slam singles titles – five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open. She has two mixed doubles major titles, 14 women’s doubles major titles, and four Olympic gold medals. In 2002, she became the first African American player to achieve a No. 1 ranking in the Open Era.

Williams is widely regarded as one of the all-time greats of the sport – not just for her wins on court but for her contributions to advancing women athletes (particularly in the area of equal pay). Her advocacy for equality prompted the United Nations’ cultural organization, UNESCO, to name her the first "Promoter of Gender Equality."

At age 42, Williams is still playing professionally on the WTA tour, although she admitted that — after she and sister Serena Williams lost their doubles match at the 2022 US Open — she's likely retired from doubles. Serena Williams, 41, retired from professional tennis after the US Open.

While Venus Williams is no longer one of the top-ranked players in the world, her matches still pack stadiums across the globe. Tickets for the Dallas event will no doubt go fast.

Premium seating (starting at $1,460) and weeklong packages ($1,085-$1,695), which include the women’s exhibition, are on sale now at dallasopen.com. Individual session tickets (prices TBA) will go on sale Monday, December 12.

Dallas-Fort Worth is in the midst of some tennis fervor: The 2022 Dallas Open last February marked the return of ATP Tour level tennis to Dallas for the first time in more than 30 years. (It featured over 60 world-class ATP Tour men's professionals and was televised worldwide to more than 100 countries.)

This fall, the Women's Tennis Association finals were held at Fort Worth's Dickies Arena, the first time they'd taken place in the United States since 2005. Caroline Garcia of France took home the coveted women's singles trophy.