The 14-time Grand Slam-winning doubles partners lost in the tournament’s opening round on Monday
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NEED TO KNOW
- Venus and Serena Williams lost their first doubles match in four years on Monday
- The sisters lost to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns, 6-2, 1-6, 1-0 (8) in the first round of the Cincinnati Open
- Serena has not said whether she will play in the US Open later this month
Serena and Venus Williams’ doubles comeback came to a halt in the first round of the Cincinnati Open.
The 14-time Grand Slam-winning doubles partners lost their first match together in nearly four years to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns, 6-2, 1-6, 1-0 (8) on Monday, Aug. 17.
“We waited a long time to get back on the doubles court, even this year,” Venus, 46, told reporters. “I think eventually we would find our way to each other.”
She added, “We give each other so much grace and encouragement. This is our first time playing together in forever, and I think we’re really getting [into] our stride.”
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Venus and Serena, 44, planned to play Wimbledon, but were a late scratch after Serena tweaked her knee in a singles match days before.
On Monday, the sisters came back after dropping the first set, and forced a 10-point third-set tiebreak. After Stearns and Kostyuk won the first six points, the Williams sisters cut the deficit to one before eventually faltering on Venus’ double-fault on the final point.
Credit: Shaina Benhiyoun/SPP/Shutterstock
Still, the sisters savored their return.
“Obviously I wanted to do the best that I could do, but I think having fun and also just seeing how we are and how we feel out there,” Serena said. “Being out there with the fans, too, is just really good to give them another opportunity to see us play. It was just really cool.”
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion returned to the sport for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday, June 9, in a doubles match at Queen’s Club Championship in London.
Williams and her partner, Canadian Victoria Mboko, 19, beat Erin Routliffe of New Zealand and American Nicole Melichar-Martinez in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2.
Serena has yet to announce whether she will play in the US Open later this month, but her coach hinted at it earlier this summer.
“Her intention is to keep playing; the US Open as well,” Rennae Stubbs said at Wimbledon on Tuesday, July 7. “As long as physically she can go — and I’m hoping in a few weeks that’s the case — to get her back on the court and hitting balls.”
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