Williams Sisters Nearly Erase Six-Point Deficit in First Doubles Match Since 2022
Serena and Venus Williams reunited on the doubles court Monday night, nearly pulling off a dramatic comeback before falling in their first match together in nearly four years.
The legendary sisters lost 2-6, 6-1, 10-8 to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns at the Cincinnati Open, marking their first doubles appearance together since the 2022 U.S. Open.
After dominating the opening set, Serena and Venus dropped the second before finding themselves down 6-0 in the decisive match tiebreak.
But the Williams sisters were not finished.
Williams Sisters Nearly Complete Comeback
Consecutive double-faults by Kostyuk helped Serena and Venus close the gap to 8-7. Serena then blasted an overhead winner to make it 9-8 before Venus double-faulted on match point, ending the comeback.
Despite the loss, Serena said the opportunity to share the court with her sister again mattered more than the result.
“I thought it was fun,” Serena said. “I thought it was special. We kicked off a little rust in the middle of the match and just, you know (were) starting to feel it.”
Serena, 44, returned to professional tennis this summer after stepping away from the tour following the 2022 U.S. Open. She and Venus had planned to play doubles together at Wimbledon, but Serena withdrew after injuring her knee during her singles return.
“I didn’t come out here to win this tournament,” Serena said in Cincinnati. “Winning is obviously great. But in this position just, you know, having fun. It was really cool to be able to do this again.”
Serena and Venus Reunite on Court
For Venus, 46, returning to doubles alongside Serena felt almost inevitable.
“Eventually we would find our way to each other,” Venus said. “It’s our first time playing together in forever. It was great for us to get out there and do it.”
Kostyuk and Stearns, both 24, were playing their first tournament together. Kostyuk is from Ukraine, while Stearns grew up in Mason, Ohio, the Cincinnati suburb where the tournament is held.
The crowd, however, belonged overwhelmingly to the Williams sisters.
“I kind of expected it but it stung a little bit that this is my hometown,” Stearns said. “I won’t hold it against anyone. The crowd was going for them but we used it to our advantage and flipped the script.”
Kostyuk said the dramatic finish delivered exactly what fans came to see.
“The crowd got the show,” she said. “They probably couldn’t ask for anything better. At the end a tiebreak is a lottery. You never know which way it’s going to go.”
A Historic Doubles Partnership
Serena and Venus remain one of the most successful doubles teams in tennis history.
The sisters have won 14 Grand Slam women’s doubles championships together along with three Olympic doubles gold medals. Serena also owns 23 Grand Slam singles championships, while Venus has seven.
Monday’s match was also their first doubles appearance together outside a Grand Slam tournament since the Italian Open in 2016.
The loss may have ended their Cincinnati run, but after nearly four years without the Williams sisters playing doubles together, their return offered another glimpse of one of tennis’ most celebrated partnerships.
