Williams sisters fall in three-set US Open doubles return against Chan and Joint

Arthur Ashe night session

Serena Williams and Venus Williams returned to the Grand Slam doubles stage on Friday evening, playing their first match together at the US Open since 2022. The American pair attracted a crowd that swelled toward 24,000 spectators at Arthur Ashe Stadium for their opening-round fixture. Serena Williams arrived on court in a silver Nike varsity jacket embroidered with the years of her past tournament titles, walking alongside her older sister with pink tennis bags. Spectators packed the arena for the late session after navigating commuter trains and concession lines across Flushing Meadows. Longtime tennis fan Nonie Green of Arlington, Virginia noted before the contest that age catches up to every athlete, adding that supporters were pleased to see the sisters compete again regardless of the result.

A three-hour opening-round battle

The unseeded sisters faced 14th seeds Chan Hao-ching of Taiwan and Maya Joint of Australia in a contest that spanned three hours and two minutes. Chan and Joint claimed the first set 6-3 before the Williams sisters responded to take the second set in a tiebreak at 7-6 with an 8-6 score. In the deciding set, Serena and Venus Williams fought back from a 4-1 deficit to level the score and force a deciding 10-point tiebreak. The sisters established a 5-1 lead in the tiebreak, but their opponents capitalized on late errors to capture the match 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(10-7). The defeat was Serena Williams's second loss to the 20-year-old Australian Joint in the 2026 season, following a three-set singles defeat at Wimbledon.

Family request and summer preparations

The decision to reconstitute the doubles partnership originated with Serena Williams's nine-year-old daughter, Olympia, who asked her mother to enter the draw with Venus Williams. Serena Williams recounted the conversation on ABC's "Good Morning America," explaining how her daughter presented the request.

She said it so clear and so calm. She's like my mom, she doesn't really talk a lot, but when she does talk, you listen. And I was like, 'OK.'

Venus Williams, who had concluded a singles match at 2 a.m. earlier in the week, shared her excitement about reuniting with her sister on the court.

Super excited about it.

The pair had initially planned to compete in doubles at Wimbledon, but a knee injury suffered by Serena Williams forced their withdrawal from the London draw. They officially returned to competition together in August at a warm-up tournament in Cincinnati.

Career statistics and age differential

The opening-round contest featured a distinct age disparity between the two sides. Serena Williams, age 44, and Venus Williams, age 46, entered the court with a combined age of 90, compared to a combined age of 52 for the 32-year-old Chan and 20-year-old Joint. Following the loss, the United States Tennis Association confirmed that the sisters would not conduct post-match press conferences. Across their careers, the Williams sisters have won 14 Grand Slam doubles championships, including US Open titles in 1999 and 2009. The result brings their collective doubles match record at the US Open to 27 wins and 8 losses across 10 tournament appearances.