Serena and Venus Williams returned to the US Open spotlight on Friday night, drawing a rare night-session slot at Arthur Ashe Stadium for their first-round doubles match. Despite a spirited performance, the sisters were eliminated by Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint, falling 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (10-7) in a match tiebreaker. The duo had fought back from a 4-1 deficit in the third set to force the tiebreaker, but ultimately faltered after blowing a 5-0 lead.
The match marked the sisters’ first appearance at the Grand Slam tournament since 2022. Serena, 44, and Venus, 46, struggled with double faults during the decisive tiebreaker, a sharp contrast to their brilliant play earlier in the match. The US Tennis Association confirmed the pair would not be available for comment following the loss. This defeat follows a similar outcome at the Cincinnati Open and adds to a difficult summer for the pair, who previously had to withdraw from Wimbledon due to a knee injury sustained by Serena.
The Williams sisters, who won the US Open doubles title in 1999 and 2009, hold a 27-8 record across 10 appearances at the tournament. Throughout their storied careers, they secured 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals, even sharing the world No. 1 ranking for eight weeks. Serena, who retired from singles play in 2022 after winning 23 Grand Slam titles, returned to the tour this year, while Venus continues to compete at 46.
The high-profile match drew significant attention from fellow competitors, including defending men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz. “I think there is no better plan (than) to watch the doubles, the Williamses once again, while getting a treatment,” Alcaraz said. “I’m going to be ready for that.” Alcaraz successfully advanced to the round of 16 by defeating Wu Yibing 6-3, 6-4, 6-1. Returning from a four-month layoff due to a right wrist injury, the two-time champion noted, “To be honest I’m better than I thought.” He is set to face No. 20 seed Tommy Paul, who advanced after a five-set victory over No. 15 Alexander Bublik.
In other tournament action, top seed Aryna Sabalenka continued her campaign to become the first player to win three consecutive US Open titles since Serena Williams achieved the feat between 2012 and 2014. Sabalenka defeated Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4, though she faced a challenging second set that lasted 54 minutes. She is now scheduled to play Taylor Townsend in the round of 16. Venus Williams also saw her singles run end in the first round earlier in the tournament. The report also notes that but then faltered late, they battled back from 4-1 down in the third set to tie it. The report also notes that could have been Serena’s long layoff, or maybe it was nerves, perhaps it was their ages. The report also notes that teaming to win 14 Grand Slam titles along with Olympic gold medals in 2000, 2008 and 2012, the sisters were once dominant in women’s doubles.
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