Williams sisters beaten on doubles return at Cincinnati Open

Serena and Venus Williams marked their return to doubles action for the first time since 2022 with an opening-round defeat at the Cincinnati Open on Monday. The legendary sisters fell 2-6, 6-1, (10-8) to Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk and American Peyton Stearns.

The match was a hard-fought contest, with the Williams sisters mounting a comeback from 6-0 down in the tiebreaker. However, a double-fault by Venus ultimately sealed their fate in the decisive set.

Despite the loss, both sisters expressed satisfaction with their performance and the experience of playing together again. "I thought it was fun, I thought it was special, I thought it was good," Serena, 44, told reporters. "We kicked off a little rust in the middle of the match. We were starting to feel it, and it was really fun. It was really cool to be able to do this again."

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I thought it was fun, I thought it was special, I thought it was good. We kicked off a little rust in the middle of the match. We were starting to feel it, and it was really fun. It was really cool to be able to do this again.

Venus, 46, echoed her sister's sentiments, adding, "I think we've waited a long time to get back on the doubles court, even this year. Eventually, we find our way to each other." The Williams sisters, who have won 14 major doubles titles together, last competed as a pair at the 2022 U.S. Open.

Venus also competed in the singles draw at Cincinnati, where she was eliminated in the first round by Colombia's Emiliana Arango with a score of 6-2, 6-2.

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I think we've waited a long time to get back on the doubles court, even this year. Eventually, we find our way to each other.