A Narrow Loss in a Long-Awaited Reunion

MASON, Ohio — Serena and Venus Williams played their first doubles match together since the 2022 U.S. Open on Monday night at the Cincinnati Open, falling 2-6, 6-1 (10-8) to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns. The sisters nearly recovered from a 6-0 deficit in the match tiebreaker before a double-fault by Venus ended their first doubles appearance in a non-Grand Slam event since the Italian Open in 2016.

"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. I didn't come out here to win this tournament. 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 had been off the tour since 2022 before returning this summer at age 44. The sisters had planned to play together at Wimbledon but had to withdraw after Serena injured her knee while losing her singles match. They entered Cincinnati as a wild card.

"Eventually we would find our way to each other," the 46-year-old Venus said about the 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."

Kostyuk and Stearns, both 24, are playing in their first tournament together. Kostyuk is from Ukraine. Stearns grew up in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, where the tournament is played every year.

A Tiebreak That Slipped Away

After dropping the first set, the Williams sisters rolled in the second to force a match tiebreak. Kostyuk and Stearns went ahead 6-0, but consecutive double-faults by Kostyuk helped the Williamses get within 8-7. It was 9-8 after Serena powerfully put away an overhead before Venus double-faulted, ending the match.

"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 added: "The crowd got the show. 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 Storied Doubles Legacy

Venus and Serena have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and 22 total doubles titles. Serena won one with Alexandra Stevenson in 2002 at Leipzig; all of Venus' doubles titles have been with her sister. They also have won three Olympic gold medals together. Serena has won 23 singles Grand Slam titles; Venus has won seven.

Other Results Monday

In other results Monday, defending Cincinnati champion Iga Swiatek rallied from a set down to win her eighth consecutive match, beating Maria Sakkari, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1. No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina beat Magdalena Frech, 6-4, 7-6. Third-ranked Jessica Pegula beat fellow American Emma Navarro, 7-5, 6-2. World No. 3 and top seed Alexander Zverev won his ATP-tour leading 46th match this season, outlasting Terence Atmane, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (6).

Serena to Team with Alcaraz at US Open

Serena Williams is coming back to the Big Apple. The US Open announced Saturday that the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion will team up with Carlos Alcaraz for its mixed doubles tournament, which begins Monday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Pairing with Alcaraz marks Williams' competitive return to the US Open, at which she last played in 2022. The six-time US Open singles champion won the US Open mixed doubles title in 1998 with Max Mirnyi. She and her sister Venus also own two career US Open women's doubles titles together.

They join a field of star-studded teams competing in the second edition of the US Open's innovative retooling of mixed doubles, including Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, returning finalists Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, and defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori. Also in the field are the all-American pair of Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz, the married Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils, and Alexandra Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

This year's tournament begins with a qualifying competition on Monday, Aug. 24, where eight teams will compete for the final two main-draw spots. The first round and quarterfinals will be played on Tuesday, Aug. 25, and the semifinals and final will take place on Wednesday, Aug. 26. Qualifying through the semifinals will be played as best-of-three-set matches with sets to four games; no-ad scoring (tiebreak at 4-4); and a 10-point tie-break in lieu of third set. The championship match is a more traditional best of three sets, with no-ad scoring and a 10-point tiebreak in lieu of third set.