Serena and Venus Williams’ return to the US Open doubles draw ended in a narrow first-round loss, but the sisters still gave Arthur Ashe Stadium a night to remember. Playing together at Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2022, they lost 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(10-7) to 14th seeds Maya Joint and Chan Hao-ching.
After dropping the opening set, the Williams sisters won a tense second-set tiebreak. They then fought back from 1-4 down in the deciding set and raced to a 5-0 lead in the match tiebreak. Joint and Chan recovered to win the breaker 10-7 and complete the upset.
The result was competitive until the final point, but the atmosphere reflected the scale of the occasion. Around 23,000 fans filled Arthur Ashe Stadium to welcome the pair back. Their record together includes 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and US Open crowns in 1999 and 2009.
For Joint, the victory added another notable chapter to her season after she had beaten Serena in singles at Wimbledon. For the Williams sisters, the loss did not erase the sense of celebration around a partnership that has shaped women’s tennis across generations.
It remains uncertain whether Serena and Venus will play another US Open together. Their latest appearance, however, gave supporters one more dramatic reminder of the competitiveness, connection and legacy that have made them one of the sport’s most iconic doubles teams.