NEW YORK: A roaring Arthur Ashe Stadium welcomed Serena and Venus Williams back to Grand Slam doubles Friday, but the sisters’ highly anticipated US Open return ended in heartbreak as Maya Joint and Chan Hao-ching edged them in a three-set thriller.
The three-hour first-round match saw the Williams sisters fight back from a set down and force a 10-point match tiebreaker before Joint and Chan prevailed 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (10-7).
The sisters appeared on the verge of completing the comeback after battling back from a 4-1 deficit in the third set to level the score. But Joint and Chan held their nerve in the decisive tiebreaker, overcoming a 5-0 deficit to seal the victory.
The match marked Serena and Venus’ first Grand Slam appearance together since the 2022 US Open and came 27 years after the sisters first won the tournament’s doubles title.
The defeat also gave Joint her second victory over Serena this summer. The Australian beat Serena in three sets at Wimbledon during Serena’s return to singles competition.
The sisters were scheduled to reunite in doubles at Wimbledon but withdrew after Serena suffered a knee injury, delaying their return to Grand Slam doubles until New York.
Serena and Venus are among the most decorated doubles teams in tennis history. They won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together, including two US Open championships, and captured Olympic gold medals in 2000, 2008 and 2012.
They also held the No. 1 ranking in women’s doubles for eight weeks.
Serena returned to competitive tennis this year at 44, while Venus, 46, has continued to compete on tour.
Together, the sisters have also won 30 Grand Slam singles titles, cementing their place among the most successful players in tennis history.
