Queens, NY — Arthur Ashe Stadium became the stage for another memorable chapter in the remarkable careers of Venus and Serena Williams on Friday night.
A fan holding a sign that read, “Welcome to the Williams Show,” captured the mood as the legendary sisters reunited on the US Open doubles court, more than two decades after their historic run through professional tennis began.
Now 46 and 44, Venus and Serena showed that experience and familiarity still make them a formidable pairing. Against a much younger team in Taiwan’s Hao-Ching Chan and Australia’s Maya Joint, the sisters pushed their opponents to the brink before ultimately coming up just short.
Chan and Joint prevailed in a dramatic three-set battle, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (10-7), ending the Williams sisters’ latest US Open comeback in heartbreaking fashion.
The deciding match tiebreak appeared to be heading toward a storybook finish for Venus and Serena. The sisters jumped ahead 5-0 and had the crowd roaring inside Ashe Stadium. But Chan and Joint steadily fought their way back, eventually turning the momentum around and closing out the match.
Despite the defeat, the Williams sisters left the court smiling as the crowd showed its appreciation for one of the most accomplished doubles teams in tennis history. The sisters did not speak with reporters afterward.
For Joint, sharing the court with the Williamses was an experience she won’t soon forget.
“It was an amazing match,” Joint said. “They played really well, and I think just the atmosphere on the court. I don’t think either of us has experienced quite like that before. And playing two legends of the game is just a super special moment that we might not get again.”
The appearance marked the sisters’ return to the US Open doubles competition after they last teamed up at Flushing Meadows in 2022. They lost in the opening round that year, and with Serena stepping away from tennis following the 2022 season, another Williams sisters reunion seemed unlikely.
But this summer brought an unexpected comeback.
Serena returned to singles competition at Wimbledon, where she faced Joint and was defeated in three sets. The sisters were scheduled to compete together in doubles at Wimbledon as well, but were forced to withdraw after Serena suffered a knee injury.
That setback postponed their return to Grand Slam doubles until New York.
The US Open has long been a special venue for the Williams family. Venus and Serena won the women’s doubles championship at Flushing Meadows in 1999 and again in 2009. Friday’s appearance was their 10th US Open together, and they entered the tournament with a 27-8 record at the event.
Their latest match produced another unusual statistic. It was only the second time the sisters had played a deciding-set match tiebreak in a Grand Slam doubles match. Their previous occurrence came during the third round of the 2009 French Open.
The final tiebreak was ultimately decided by a handful of critical points. Both sisters committed double faults during the deciding breaker after playing some of their best tennis late in the third set and opening the tiebreak with tremendous momentum.
Still, the result did little to diminish the spectacle.
Venus and Serena repeatedly flashed the form that made them the most decorated doubles partnership of their generation. Their quick exchanges at the net, powerful returns and instinctive court coverage brought back memories of their dominant years together.
They also lost a match tiebreak earlier this season at the Cincinnati Open, but Friday’s performance carried considerably more significance given the setting and the history surrounding their return to Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The anticipation was evident well before the match began.
Among those eager to watch was defending US Open men’s champion Carlos Alcaraz, who had already completed his own match earlier in the evening.
“I think there is no better plan [than] to watch the doubles, the Williamses once again, while getting a treatment,” Alcaraz said. “I’m going to be ready for that.”
The decision to put a first-round doubles match in the US Open night session was unusual. But this wasn’t an ordinary doubles match.
Arthur Ashe Stadium was packed, and the introduction reflected the magnitude of the occasion. After Chan and Joint were introduced, the stadium announcer turned his attention to the Williams sisters, describing them as athletes who had transformed and elevated tennis while calling them two of the greatest athletes of all time.
The numbers back up that legacy.
Venus and Serena captured 14 Grand Slam doubles championships together and won Olympic gold medals in 2000, 2008 and 2012. They also spent eight weeks jointly holding the No. 1 ranking in women’s doubles.
Friday night added another chapter to their extraordinary story.
They didn’t get the victory, but for three sets, Venus and Serena Williams once again gave the US Open crowd exactly what it came to see — two tennis legends sharing the court, competing at the highest level and reminding everyone why the “Williams Show” has been so special for so long.
