Serena and Venus Williams ignited the Arthur Ashe Stadium but fell to Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint in three thrilling sets in their return to the US Open women’s doubles on Friday.
The sisters, who have 14 Grand Slam doubles victories, including two US Opens, came from a breakdown in the third set to lead the crucial 10-point tiebreaker 5-0 before losing 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), and 7-6 (10/7).
Venus, 46, and Serena, 44, had not competed in Grand Slam doubles since the 2022 US Open, and their most recent triumph was at Roland Garros in 2018.
They had flashes of their spectacular best, with Serena proving especially dangerous prowling the net but suffering with her serve.
Serena and Venus Williams ignited Arthur Ashe Stadium but were defeated in three exciting sets by Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint in their US Open women’s doubles return on Friday.
After losing the first set, he recovered to even the match in the second set tiebreaker.
They smashed no less than 20 winners in the set, holding serve throughout, and leveled the match when Joint smacked an overhead long to roars from the audience.
Chan and Joint regrouped to take a 4-2 lead in the third. The sisters rallied but were unable to cross the finish line as Taiwan’s Chan and Joint came back valiantly to claim victory.
Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion who is widely regarded as tennis’ best female player, was making her first trip to Flushing Meadows courts since then.
The 44-year-old had returned to major singles competition as a Wimbledon wild card four years after “evolving away” from the sport.
At the All-England Club, she fell to joint in a center court match that captivated both diehard and casual tennis fans.
Even that experience did not prepare Joint for the atmosphere inside the enormous Ashe Stadium.
When the sisters appeared in court, dressed in simple white gowns, they received a thundering ovation.
Every scorching volley and overhead smash from the Americans got thunderous cheers, and as they stormed to the lead in the crucial 10-point tiebreaker, the atmosphere was deafening.
“The atmosphere was surreal,” Joint said. “Being able to play against such legends of the game is super special.”
