Williams Sisters’ US Open Doubles Comeback Falls Short in Dramatic Third-Set Tiebreak Loss

After hours of determined effort and admirable resilience, defeat arrived swiftly for one of the most celebrated doubles partnerships in tennis history. Returning to the spotlight in New York, Venus and Serena Williams battled fiercely to overcome multiple deficits over three hours inside a thunderous Arthur Ashe Stadium.

They came tantalizingly close. The Williams sisters had clawed their way back into the contest after trailing 1-4 in the final set against Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint, even establishing a commanding 5-0 lead in the third-set tiebreak. Just as victory appeared within reach, they were overwhelmed, falling 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (7) in the opening round of the US Open.

This match stood as one of the rare occasions in recent tennis history where a doubles appearance carried greater significance than any singles endeavor. While 44-year-old Serena had opted not to accept a singles wildcard for the US Open following a knee injury sustained during her singles comeback at Wimbledon in July against Joint, 46-year-old Venus had exited the singles draw in the first round here, falling to Sofia Kenin for her 15th consecutive singles defeat. Regardless, once it became clear that the Williams sisters would compete together in doubles again, this became the match everyone wanted to witness.

Before this summer, when the Williams sisters reunited at the Cincinnati Open, losing a tight first-round contest, the last time Venus and Serena had competed as a pair was here in 2022, during what was supposed to be Serena’s farewell tournament. Serena had been remarkably impressive in her mixed doubles appearance alongside Carlos Alcaraz this year, even outperforming him for significant stretches. However, here, perhaps under the additional pressure of playing alongside her sister, four years of rust remained evident in Serena’s game as she struggled throughout the match.

A week after delivering 120mph aces on critical points, Serena encountered such difficulty with her serve that by the final set she had been reduced to simply rolling in her first serve, while also struggling to land any returns. Venus, meanwhile, was frequently the strongest player on the court, though the pair paid the price for her inability to convert key volleys in the crucial stages of the match.

Nevertheless, the Williams sisters battled desperately for three hours, produced numerous moments of brilliance, and nearly toppled the 14th-seeded team in the draw. They were ultimately outplayed by a solid pairing: Joint, a top-30 doubles player, and Chan, a former world No. 5 and Wimbledon finalist. The Australian-Taiwanese duo were at times overwhelmed by the increasingly fervent crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium and their relentless opponents. Yet in the decisive moments of the final-set tiebreak, they executed flawlessly, absorbing the Williams sisters’ initial assault while tidying up around the net.

Serena has consistently emphasized that, in stark contrast to the rest of her career when she expected to win every tournament she entered, this comeback is not about victory. She has returned solely to enjoy herself and to share with her daughters, Olympia and Adira, the world she once inhabited. She will not be competing for much longer. Despite Serena compiling a 1-4 record in singles and women’s doubles since her return, it has been a pleasure to once again witness her legendary serving motion, feel her competitive fire, and hear her roar. She has clearly relished being back in the arena.

The pressing question for both players, however, remains when this chapter will finally conclude. From the moment Serena announced her return, retiring hand-in-hand at the US Open appeared to be the perfect ending to their story. Yet neither player offered any indication that this might be their final appearance as they quietly departed the court and subsequently declined to conduct a post-match press conference.

It has now been over three decades since Venus and Serena launched their careers, Venus in 1994 and Serena in 1995. Venus made her iconic breakthrough to the US Open final at age 17 in 1997, falling to Martina Hingis. Serena captured her first Grand Slam title here at 17 in 1999, defeating Hingis. The following year, Venus followed her younger sister by claiming her first US Open singles crown. Then in 2001 at the US Open, they became the first siblings in history to face each other in a Grand Slam final.

All those years later, here they remain. Still competing on Arthur Ashe Stadium, still fighting until the very end, still striving to prevail yet agonizingly falling short. Though they did not depart the court with a victory, they delivered a full, passionate crowd of 23,000 spectators a powerful reminder of their enduring passion and devotion to the sport that has defined their lives for so long.

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