Williams Sisters Fall in Thrilling US Open Doubles Return

Serena and Venus Williams lost their U.S. Open women’s doubles match on Friday night, falling to Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint in three sets.

The match, played at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City, concluded with a score of 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (10-7) after three hours and two minutes. This marked the sisters' first U.S. Open doubles appearance since 2022 and their return to Grand Slam doubles play after four years. The Williams sisters rallied from a break down in the third set and overcame a 4-1 deficit to tie the set.

They then took a 5-0 lead in the deciding 10-point match tiebreaker before their opponents fought back to clinch the victory. Both sisters double-faulted during the tiebreaker. Serena Williams had returned to tennis this year, having previously lost to Maya Joint in singles at Wimbledon and then withdrawing from a doubles match due to a knee injury.

The match drew a full stadium of 23,000 fans, including defending men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz. Maya Joint described the atmosphere as super special. The sisters have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, including two U.S. Open titles in 1999 and 2009, and hold an overall U.S. Open doubles record of 27-8 in 10 appearances. They also won Olympic gold medals in 2000, 2008, and 2012, and shared the No. 1 ranking in women’s doubles for eight weeks. The U.S. Tennis Association stated the sisters would not be available for comment after the match.