Venus and Serena Williams fall in first round on return to New York

Venus and Serena Williams’ return to New York ended in a first-round defeat after they surrendered a 5-0 lead in the deciding super tie-break against Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint.

The Taiwanese-Australian pairing won 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(7) on Arthur Ashe Stadium after more than three hours of play. Chan and Joint took control late in the match, winning 10 of the final 12 points in the super tie-break.

The match marked the sisters’ first joint appearance in New York since 2022. Venus and Serena, aged 46 and 44 respectively, had entered with a 31-2 record in Grand Slam first rounds. They won the US Open doubles title together in 1999 and 2009.

The sisters had gone four years without competing together. They had planned to return at Wimbledon this year, but Serena injured herself during her singles match against Joint. They reunited two weeks ago at the Cincinnati Open, where they also lost in the first round.

Serena had been away from competition for four years, while Venus remained active and reached the New York quarterfinals in 2025 with Canada’s Leylah Fernandez. Chan and Joint were playing their fourth tournament together after reaching the final at the WTA 250 event in Memphis shortly after forming their partnership.