Serena and Venus Williams Return to Doubles, Lose Close Match in Cincinnati/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Serena and Venus Williams lost 2-6, 6-1 (10-8) to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in their first doubles match together since the 2022 U.S. Open. The sisters nearly erased a 6-0 deficit in the deciding match tiebreak before Venus double-faulted on match point. Elsewhere, Iga Swiatek advanced with a three-set victory, while Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula and Alexander Zverev also won.
Quick Look
- Serena and Venus played together for the first time since 2022.
- Kostyuk and Stearns won 2-6, 6-1 (10-8).
- The Williams sisters dominated the opening set.
- Kostyuk and Stearns forced a match tiebreak.
- Serena and Venus fell behind 6-0 in the tiebreak.
- They recovered to within 8-7.
- Serena saved one match point with an overhead.
- Venus double-faulted to end the match.
- It was their first non-Grand Slam doubles event since 2016.
- Serena returned to the tour this summer at age 44.
- Venus is 46.
- The sisters entered Cincinnati with a wild card.
- They have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together.
- They also earned three Olympic doubles gold medals.
- Swiatek defeated Maria Sakkari in three sets.
- Rybakina, Pegula and Zverev also advanced.
Deep Look
Williams sisters return to doubles
MASON, Ohio — Serena and Venus Williams played their first doubles match together in nearly four years Monday night at the Cincinnati Open.
The sisters lost a dramatic contest to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns, 2-6, 6-1 (10-8).
It was their first doubles appearance as a team since the 2022 U.S. Open.
The match also marked their first doubles competition outside a Grand Slam tournament since the 2016 Italian Open.
Serena describes return as special
“I thought it was fun,” Serena said. “I thought it was special. We kicked off a little rust in the middle of the match and just, you know (were) starting to feel it. I didn’t come out here to win this tournament. Winning is obviously great. But in this position just, you know, having fun. It was really cool to be able to do this again.”
Serena had been away from professional tennis since 2022 before returning to the tour this summer at age 44.
She and Venus had planned to compete together at Wimbledon.
However, they withdrew after Serena injured her knee during a singles loss.
The sisters entered the Cincinnati doubles draw as a wild-card team.
Venus says sisters found their way back
Venus said reuniting with Serena on the doubles court felt inevitable.
“Eventually we would find our way to each other,” the 46-year-old Venus said. “It’s our first time playing together in forever. It was great for us to get out there and do it.”
Their return drew a heavily pro-Williams crowd despite Stearns’ connection to the tournament’s host city.
The match was played in Mason, a Cincinnati suburb where Stearns grew up.
Williamses dominate opening set
Serena and Venus started strongly and took the opening set 6-2.
Their younger opponents responded by dominating the second set 6-1.
That result forced a match tiebreak to determine which team would advance.
Kostyuk and Stearns carried their second-set momentum into the tiebreak and won the first six points.
Sisters nearly erase 6-0 deficit
The Williams sisters mounted a late comeback after falling behind 6-0.
Consecutive double-faults by Kostyuk helped Serena and Venus close the deficit to 8-7.
Kostyuk and Stearns reached match point at 9-7, but Serena delivered a powerful overhead to keep the match alive.
Venus then double-faulted on the following point, ending the comeback attempt and giving their opponents a 10-8 victory.
Kostyuk calls tiebreak and lottery
“The crowd got the show,” Kostyuk said. “They probably couldn’t ask for anything better. At the end a tiebreak is a lottery. You never know which way it’s going to go.”
Kostyuk, from Ukraine, and Stearns are both 24.
The Cincinnati Open is their first tournament together as a doubles team.
Their victory came against one of the most accomplished pairings in tennis history.
Stearns faces hometown crowd
Although Stearns grew up in Mason, most of the crowd supported Serena and Venus.
“I kind of expected it but it stung a little bit that this is my hometown,” Stearns said. “I won’t hold it against anyone. The crowd was going for them but we used it to our advantage and flipped the script.”
Kostyuk and Stearns overcame the partisan atmosphere as well as a difficult opening set.
They held on through the Williams sisters’ late rally to secure the victory.
Williams sisters own historic record
Serena and Venus have won 14 Grand Slam doubles championships together.
They have 22 total doubles titles between them.
Serena won one title with Alexandra Stevenson in Leipzig in 2002, while every doubles championship Venus has won came alongside her sister.
The Williamses also won three Olympic gold medals together in doubles.
Their singles careers produced another 30 Grand Slam championships, with Serena winning 23 and Venus collecting seven.
Swiatek extends winning streak
Defending Cincinnati champion Iga Swiatek rallied after losing the opening set to Maria Sakkari.
Swiatek won 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 to record her eighth consecutive victory.
The result kept her title defense alive after a difficult start.
She dominated the final two sets, losing only two games combined.
Rybakina and Pegula advance
Second-seeded Elena Rybakina defeated Magdalena Frech 6-4, 7-6.
Third-ranked Jessica Pegula also advanced with a straight-set victory over fellow American Emma Navarro.
Pegula won 7-5, 6-2.
Both players joined Swiatek in moving forward through the Cincinnati draw.
Zverev earns 46th win
Top-seeded Alexander Zverev defeated Terence Atmane 7-6 (4), 7-6 (6).
The world No. 3 needed two tiebreaks to complete the victory.
It was Zverev’s 46th win of the season, the highest total on the men’s ATP Tour.
More on Sports