Williams Sisters Fall Short In Doubles Return
Serena and Venus Williams suffered defeat in their first doubles appearance together in four years after losing a thrilling encounter at the Cincinnati Open.
The American sisters were beaten 6-2, 1-6, 10-8 by Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in front of a packed crowd.
The defeat marked their first doubles match together since the 2022 US Open, which was also Serena’s final tournament before she stepped away from competitive tennis.
Serena, 44, returned to action in doubles in June before making her singles comeback at Wimbledon as a wildcard.
Her run at Wimbledon was cut short by a knee injury sustained during her first-round defeat to Maya Joint.
The injury forced her to withdraw from her planned doubles reunion with Venus.
“We’ve waited a long time to get back on the doubles court. Eventually, we find our way to each other,” Venus, 46, said.
“We give each other so much grace and encouragement.
“This is our first time playing together in forever, and I think we’re really getting [into] our stride.”
The Cincinnati appearance was Serena’s first match since Wimbledon, while Venus has remained active, competing in singles and doubles at three hard-court tournaments in recent weeks.
Despite the loss, the sisters showed flashes of their familiar partnership as they battled back after dropping the opening set before ultimately falling in the deciding match tiebreak.
