Serena and Venus Williams saw their highly anticipated doubles reunion at the Cincinnati Open end in the first round on Tuesday. The three-time Olympic gold medalists faced the team of Peyton Stearns and Marta Kostyuk, ultimately losing 2-6, 6-1, 0-1 (8-10).
This marked the first time the sisters had competed together in a non-Grand Slam doubles event in a decade, their last such appearance being at the 2016 Italian Open. Their reunion on court followed a nearly four-year absence from doubles play, with their last appearance together being at the 2022 US Open.
Despite a strong comeback attempt in the match tiebreak, where they fought back from a 0-6 deficit to close within two points of victory, a double fault by Venus on the final serve sealed their defeat. Stearns, a Cincinnati native, secured a home-court victory alongside her partner Kostyuk, who are playing in their first tournament as a doubles team.
The Williams sisters had planned to play doubles at Wimbledon earlier in the year but were forced to withdraw when Serena sustained a knee injury during her singles match. "Eventually we would find our way to each other," Venus Williams stated regarding their decision to play doubles again. "It's our first time playing together in forever. It was great for us to get out there and do it."
Throughout their careers, the Williams sisters have amassed 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, including two at the French Open, two at the US Open, four at the Australian Open, and six at Wimbledon. They also secured Olympic gold medals in doubles in 2000, 2008, and 2012.
Serena Williams has not yet announced her plans for the upcoming US Open, the main singles draw of which begins on August 31.