Serena and Venus Williams lost their US Open doubles return on Friday, falling to Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint in three sets at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
Chan of Taiwan and Joint of Australia won 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-4 (10-7) to eliminate the Williams sisters in the first round after a match lasting more than three hours.
Serena and Venus appeared to have seized control of the deciding 10-point match tiebreak when they raced to a 5-0 advantage. They could not convert the lead, however, as Chan and Joint recovered to secure the victory.
The September 4 match marked another doubles appearance at Flushing Meadows for one of tennis’s most celebrated sibling partnerships. Fans welcomed the sisters to Arthur Ashe Stadium with signs reading, “Welcome to the Williams Show.”
The Williams sisters did not speak to the media after the defeat and left the court smiling. They praised their performance and described facing two legends of the sport as a special experience.
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It was the sisters’ first US Open doubles appearance together since 2022, when they also exited in the opening round. Serena stepped away from tennis that year after winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
