Williams Sisters Eliminated from US Open Doubles in Thrilling Return

Serena and Venus Williams were eliminated in the first round of the US Open women’s doubles on Friday night, losing a close three-set match to 14th seeds Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint. Playing in front of approximately 20,000 spectators at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the American pair fell 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (10-7) in their first Grand Slam tournament together since 2022.

A tight contest on Ashe

The Williams sisters struggled in the opening set, dropping it 6-3. In the second set, they saved four break points across the fifth and seventh games before leveling the match by winning the tie-break 8-6. In the deciding set, the pair trailed 4-1 before rallying to force a first-to-10 match tie-break.

The siblings established a 5-0 lead in the decider, but double faults from both sisters helped Chan and Joint mount a comeback to take the tie-break 10-7. Commentator Chanda Rubin said, “It was unbelievable how competitive that was,” while their opponents described playing against the pair as “super special.”

2>Return to competition

The match marked the latest step in a comeback for Serena Williams, 44, who returned from retirement during the summer. Venus Williams, 46, has continued playing sporadically using tournament wildcards. The sisters had intended to play doubles together at Wimbledon, but Serena suffered a knee injury in her singles match against Joint. They later reunited at a WTA tournament in Cincinnati, where they also lost in a match tie-break to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns.

Together, the pair have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles without losing a major final. In their previous doubles appearance at Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2022, they lost in straight sets to Czech pair Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova.

2>Questions remain over future plans

Following Friday’s match, neither sister addressed reporters. Tournament organizers confirmed that both players were unavailable for post-match media interviews.

Earlier in the week, Serena indicated during a television interview on Good Morning America that she was open to playing singles again. Venus stated following her singles exit on Monday that she should not have to address her future plans beyond the doubles competition.

Background

Serena and Venus Williams are two of the most successful figures in modern tennis history. Together, they have captured 14 Grand Slam doubles titles as a team. Individually, Serena Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, while Venus Williams has earned seven. Between them, they have claimed eight US Open singles titles on Arthur Ashe Stadium.