Williams Sisters Reunite for U.S. Open Doubles After Four Years

Serena and Venus Williams are back together at the U.S. Open, four years after their last planned reunion at Wimbledon ended when Venus withdrew from their doubles match because Serena had injured her knee.

The sisters will face Maya Joint and Hao-Ching Chan in the first round of the women’s doubles tournament in New York. Joint, a 20-year-old Australian, defeated Serena at Wimbledon this summer in three sets, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3.

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I mean, the night match against the Williams sisters with the New York crowd, it’s going to be tough.

Serena, 44, returned to competition this year after four years away. The sisters have won the U.S. Open doubles title twice, in 1999 and 2009, and have a 27-7 record in nine appearances at the tournament. Their last appearance together came in 2022, when they lost in the first round in what was expected to be Serena’s final match at Flushing Meadows.

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I don’t think I should have to.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands, a nine-time Grand Slam doubles champion, said the occasion could put pressure on their opponents. “I mean, the night match against the Williams sisters with the New York crowd, it’s going to be tough,” she told CBS News.

Venus, 46, arrived at the doubles match after losing her 26th U.S. Open singles appearance to fellow American wild card Sofia Kenin. She lost 6-2, 7-6 (6) after playing past midnight, extending her singles losing streak to 15 matches. Asked about her future, Venus declined to look beyond the doubles contest: “I don’t think I should have to,” she said. “My mind is fully focused on that: how I recover from this completely insane evening and get ready for the next one.”

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My mind is fully focused on that: how I recover from this completely insane evening and get ready for the next one.