Venus and Serena Williams ousted from US Open in strenuous doubles defeat

On Friday night, Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint faced off against Venus and Serena Williams in the first round of the US Open doubles match at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 14-time Grand Slam doubles title-winners were cheered on by nearly 24,000 spectators, while the sisters themselves were grateful for the opportunity to play at the world's biggest tennis arena in front of a primetime audience.

Despite their efforts, Joint and Chan ultimately defeated the Williams sisters 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (10-7) after a grueling three-hour, two-minute match. The atmosphere was reminiscent of a Grand Slam final, with the sisters wearing white outfits, including Serena's warm-up jacket adorned with every year she has won a singles and doubles title at the US Open.

The match was filled with drama and high drama, as the crowd hung on every point and celebrated Serena's baseline winners and forehand slams, even when unintentionally hitting Joint. Joint, an Australian player, played significantly better than her listed height of 5-foot-5, while Chan, from Chinese Taipei, provided strong support.

The sisters' first appearance as partners since 2022 US Open, entered as wild cards, demonstrated their strong performance throughout the tournament. Their service game was broken, but they quickly responded, tying the match at three. However, they eventually succumbed to the Williams sisters' dominance, losing the last three games of the set.

The second set was even more challenging, with several games lasting over ten minutes. The sisters came back from break points twice, but a forehand unforced error by Chan, along with Serena's double fault, sealed their fate. Despite the loss, Joint and Chan will face Nicole Fossa Huergo and Tamara Korpatsch in the second round.