Williams sisters fall in dramatic US Open doubles return

Serena and Venus Williams have been eliminated from the US Open women's doubles competition after a dramatic loss to Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint. The match, which marked the sisters' first Grand Slam doubles appearance since 2022, concluded with a score of 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (10-7) in the night session of Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The 46-year-old Serena and 44-year-old Venus led the final 10-point tiebreak 5-0 before conceding the point, a sequence that saw both players commit double faults. Despite the defeat, the pair exited the court with smiles, having forced a decider after taking the second set tiebreak. The sisters declined to speak to the media following the match, though their opponents described the atmosphere as unique.

Maya Joint, who had previously defeated Serena in the singles competition at Wimbledon this summer, noted that playing the Williams sisters was a "super special moment" that might not happen again. The Australian added that the crowd's energy and the sisters' performance created an experience neither team had encountered before.

This result extends a recent pattern for the partnership, which also lost a match tiebreak at the Cincinnati Open earlier in the year. The sisters' return to the Grand Slam stage was delayed by a knee injury sustained by Serena during their Wimbledon doubles match, following her return to singles play in July.

The Williams sisters, who hold 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and Olympic gold medals from 2000, 2008, and 2012, are now 27-8 in their 10 Grand Slam doubles appearances. Friday's match was only the second major doubles encounter where they played a deciding-set tiebreak, the previous instance being the third round of the 2009 French Open.

Defending men's champion Carlos Alcaraz watched the match while receiving treatment, calling it a better plan than any other activity. The placement of a first-round doubles match in the night session of Arthur Ashe Stadium was described as practically unheard of, underscoring the institutional weight still carried by the sisters' return to the sport.