Williams Sisters’ US Open Reunion Ends in Three-Set Doubles Defeat
Developing story first seen 2 hours ago
Serena and Venus Williams' first US Open doubles pairing in four years ended in a three-set defeat on Friday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, with Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint winning 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(10) after a match lasting just over three hours. The reunion, originally planned for Wimbledon before Serena withdrew through injury, drew a huge, vocal crowd firmly behind the sisters, underlining the enduring public appetite for their partnership even as 44-year-old Serena continues her comeback.
The pairing lost the opening set before fighting back to force a tie-break in the second, and then battled from behind in a deciding-set tie-break that went to 10 points, ultimately falling short against their considerably younger opponents — 20-year-old Joint was a toddler when the Williamses last won US Open doubles gold in 2009. Despite the loss, the closely fought contest, played respectfully but with the crowd's clear allegiance to the sisters, reaffirmed their standing as one of the sport's most storied partnerships even in defeat.
- Williams sisters lost US Open doubles reunion in three tight sets
- Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint won 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(10)
- Crowd firmly backed the sisters in first pairing in four years
New here? Start with this
Serena and Venus Williams are one of the most successful partnerships in tennis history, having won multiple Grand Slam doubles titles together, including at the US Open. Serena, 44, has been playing a limited comeback schedule, while the pair had planned to reunite at Wimbledon earlier this year before Serena had to withdraw because of injury, making this US Open appearance their first doubles outing together in four years.
Their opponents, Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint, represent a much younger generation of players; Joint is 20 and was still a small child when the Williams sisters last won US Open doubles gold, in 2009. The match took place at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the main show court at the US Open, in front of a large crowd.
The occasion mattered less for the result than for what it represented: a rare chance to see two of the sport's most celebrated figures play together again, and a marker of how far Serena's comeback has progressed since her earlier retirement from full-time competition.
Full account
Serena and Venus Williams brought their first-round women's doubles match to the top of the US Open night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday, marking their first Grand Slam doubles appearance together since 2022. A reunion originally pencilled in for Wimbledon this summer had fallen through after Serena, now 44 and in the midst of a comeback after several years out of the sport, withdrew injured, so the New York pairing carried extra weight. Facing 14th seeds Chan Hao-ching of Taiwan and 20-year-old Australian Maya Joint, the American siblings — whose combined age reaches 90 and whose singles honours run to roughly 30 major titles between them — were beaten 6-3, 6-7(6-8), 7-6(10-7) in a contest lasting just over three hours.
The match ebbed and flowed rather than following a straightforward script. Chan and Joint took the opening set comfortably at 6-3, but the Williams sisters regrouped to push the second into a tie-break, which they edged to level the contest. The decider proved the most dramatic act: the sisters slipped to 4-1 down and looked to be fading before rallying to force a first-to-10 match tie-break. There they surged into a commanding 5-0 lead, only for their younger opponents to claw back with the help of a couple of untimely double faults from the Americans, eventually completing the turnaround to close out the match.
The occasion drew a rare hush of concentration from the near-capacity Ashe crowd, who otherwise roared throughout in support of the sisters returning to a court where they have collected eight singles and two doubles titles together, including their 1999 and 2009 US Open doubles crowns. Former player-turned-broadcaster Chanda Rubin, who was beaten by the pair in that 1999 doubles final, praised how competitive the match remained after a shaky start, while Joint described the atmosphere as surreal. Despite the disappointment of defeat, the sisters were given a warm send-off as the match ended.
What comes next for the pair was left unaddressed on the night, with organisers saying the sisters were unavailable to speak to media afterwards. Earlier in the week, Serena had suggested in a television interview that she might consider a singles return, while Venus, following her own singles exit on Monday, indicated she did not feel obliged to make immediate decisions about her future beyond doubles. Whether Friday's match was a farewell or simply another chapter remains an open question.
Where outlets differ
The BBC account foregrounds the emotional and historical significance of the reunion, the crowd's hushed engagement, direct quotes from Chanda Rubin and Maya Joint, and detail on the sisters declining post-match interviews plus their prior comments on possible future plans; it gives less blow-by-blow scoring detail.
The Fox News/Outkick account leans more heavily on match narrative and point-by-point progression (including the 5-0 tie-break lead and the specific sequence of games), and notes the Wimbledon reunion that fell through due to Serena's injury and the detail of titles listed on Serena's jacket — but it does not mention the sisters' media silence afterwards or their remarks on future plans.
Minor discrepancy: one source frames the third-set tie-break as a 'first-to-10' match tie-break while the other refers to it within a standard three-set structure without specifying the tie-break format.
Coverage
- BBC Sport — Williams sisters exit US Open but excite – what does future hold?
- Fox News — Venus and Serena Williams’ highly anticipated US Open return ends in heartbreaking loss