Williams sisters fall in thrilling return to US Open doubles

Serena and Venus Williams made a triumphant return to the US Open women's doubles tournament on Friday, facing off against Taiwan's Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint in a thrilling match at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Despite their storied success in doubles, with 14 Grand Slam titles between them including two US Opens, the siblings fell short in a closely contested three-set match, losing 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (10/7).

The sisters, aged 44 and 46 respectively, had not played Grand Slam doubles since the 2022 US Open and last won a title together at Roland Garros in 2018. Serena, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, showed flashes of her brilliance, dominating the net and serving with purpose, though her serve was a point of concern. Venus also put on a show, hitting 20 winners in the second set and holding her serve throughout.

The match, which saw the Williams sisters receive a thunderous ovation upon taking the court, showcased the electric atmosphere of Ashe Stadium as both teams traded blows, with the final deciding set proving to be the most intense.

Brief written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.