Serena and Venus Williams were beaten in a dramatic first-round clash at the US Open, losing to 14th seeds Maya Joint and Hao-Ching Chan after more than three hours on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The sisters recovered from losing the opening set to force a deciding tie-break, but Joint and Chan held their nerve to win 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 in New York.
The defeat ended the Williams sisters’ first appearance together at Flushing Meadows since 2022, when they also lost in the opening round. They had previously won the US Open women’s doubles title in 1999 and 2009.
Serena, 44, returned to competitive tennis this year after a four-year absence. She had been beaten by Joint in the first round of Wimbledon in July, before withdrawing from the sisters’ planned doubles match with a knee injury.
The Australian, 20, produced another composed performance alongside Chan, a Taiwanese player and nine-time Grand Slam doubles champion. The pair were awarded the 14th seeding for the tournament.
Friday’s match was played in front of a packed crowd, with the Williams sisters receiving a rapturous reception as they made their return to the court where they have enjoyed some of their greatest successes.
Venus Williams, 46, had already exited the singles draw earlier in the tournament after a straight-sets defeat by fellow American Sofia Kenin. She lost 6-2, 7-6 after being forced to wait until shortly before midnight to begin her match.
It was her 15th consecutive singles defeat, with her last victory coming in Washington in July 2025. Venus had declined to discuss her future before the doubles match, saying her immediate focus was on recovering from what she described as an “insane evening”.
The sisters had been given a wild card to compete in the US Open doubles draw. They have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together, although their most recent major triumph came at Wimbledon in 2016.
Serena had also partnered Carlos Alcaraz in the mixed doubles tournament in New York, but the pair were knocked out in the quarter-finals last week.
