{
  "id": 1677852,
  "title": "Williams sisters lose on doubles return",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/williams-sisters-lose-on-doubles-return-1677852",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-18T08:49:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Island Sri Lanka",
    "slug": "the-island-sri-lanka",
    "url": "http://island.lk/williams-sisters-lose-on-doubles-return/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Serena and Venus Williams engaged in an intense doubles match at the Cincinnati Open, their first together in four years. The American duo were defeated 6-2 1-6 10-8 by Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns. The sisters last played together at the 2022 US Open when Serena retired from tennis. Serena returned to doubles in June but withdrew from playing doubles with Venus after suffering a knee injury during Wimbledon. Venus, 46, expressed her excitement about returning to the doubles court and praised their camaraderie. Serena, playing her first match since Wimbledon, acknowledged some initial rust but quickly overcame it. Despite a near loss in the final tie-break, Venus secured the victory on a double fault from Kostyuk. The sisters would require wildcards to compete in singles or doubles at the upcoming US Open. Their Grand Slam doubles title tally stood at 14, along with three Olympic gold medals. In singles, Elena Rybakina advanced to the fourth round, potentially replacing Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the rankings.",
  "summary": "Serena and Venus Williams lost a thriller at the Cincinnati Open in their first doubles match together for four years. The American pair were beaten 6-2 1-6 10-8 by Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in front of a packed crowd. The sisters last played together at the 2022 US Open, which was Serena’s final tournament […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}