Williams Sisters Suffer Agonising U. S. Open Defeat in Four-year Comeback

The Williams sisters’ long-awaited return to the US Open ended in a defeat, but not before Serena and Venus delivered the kind of drama that filled Arthur Ashe Stadium for a women’s doubles first-round match.

The American icons lost to 14th seeds Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint in a deciding-set tiebreak, 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (10-7). The match stretched deep into the night as a packed crowd roared the sisters toward what looked like a memorable victory.

Serena and Venus, aged 44 and 46, had not appeared on Ashe for four years. Their combined age is 90, yet the crowd’s enthusiasm reflected the lasting pull of a pairing that has remained capable of competing at the highest level when together.

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It was unbelievable how competitive that was.

“It was unbelievable how competitive that was,” said Chanda Rubin, the former American player and commentator who lost to the Williams sisters in the 1999 US Open doubles final. “After the first set you wondered if Serena and Venus would be able to find their mojo, but, boy, they did.”

The sisters received a rapturous welcome as they walked onto a court where they have won eight singles titles between them and two doubles titles together. They changed the sport when they emerged as teenage stars in the 1990s, later collecting 30 combined Grand Slam singles titles and 14 doubles victories as a pair. Their narrow loss showed that, three decades after their rise, the sport remains captivated by them.

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After the first set you wondered if Serena and Venus would be able to find their mojo, but, boy, they did.