Venus and Serena Led the Deciding Tiebreak Five-Nil and Lost the Match in Three Hours and Two Minutes
Their first Grand Slam doubles match together in four years went to a match tiebreak on Arthur Ashe. They lost it ten-seven.
Venus and Serena Williams played their first Grand Slam doubles match together since the 2022 US Open on Friday night on Arthur Ashe Stadium, and lost it.
Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint won 3-6, 7-6, 7-6, the last of those a deciding match tiebreak that the Williams sisters led 5-0 before losing 10-7. The match ran three hours and two minutes, in a night session, in the first round.
They were there on a wild card announced on 26 August. Venus is 46 and Serena is 44. Between them they hold fourteen Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and their last US Open doubles title was won 27 years ago.
Losing a first-round match from 5-0 up in a deciding tiebreak is a particular kind of result. It is also the only kind that keeps a full stadium in its seats for three hours on a Friday night in the first week.
Neither has said whether they will play doubles again. Nothing about the wild card suggested a schedule beyond this tournament.
One practical note for anyone reading about this fortnight. The singles draws were only at the fourth round on Sunday, and several widely mirrored pages have already been carrying names of singles champions for matches that have not been played. They are not results. They are somebody filling in a table early.