Tonight, for the first time in four years, Serena and Venus Williams are back on court together at the U.S. Open in New York, set to play women’s doubles in a prime-time slot at Arthur Ashe Stadium. But get this: they’re kicking off against Maya Joint and Hao-Ching Chan, and Joint already handed Serena a tough loss at Wimbledon this summer. That’s a serious wildcard for tonight’s big match.
The Big Return and That Killer Opponent
Serena, 44, made her comeback to the sport this year after four years away, only to get dropped by Joint, a 20-year-old from Australia. That Wimbledon match went 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3, and Serena actually injured her knee there, which forced her to pull out of a planned doubles match at the All England Club with Venus, 46. Now, Joint and Chan are the No. 14-seeded team, and they’re facing two absolute legends. Nine-time Grand Slam doubles champion Bethanie Mattek-Sands thinks the seeded pair will be “a little intimidated” by the Williams sisters, telling CBS News, “I mean, the night match against the Williams sisters with the New York crowd, it’s going to be tough.” You think? That New York crowd is gonna be electric.
Recent Struggles and the Stakes
The vibe coming into this doubles match isn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the sisters. Venus just bowed out of her 26th singles appearance at Flushing Meadows early Monday morning, losing in straight sets to Sofia Kenin 6-2, 7-6 (6) after not even getting on the court until midnight. It was her 15th consecutive singles defeat going all the way back to July 2025 and her sixth straight U.S. Open singles loss since 2019. This could even be her final singles match at a Grand Slam. And Serena? She and Carlos Alcaraz got bounced from the mixed doubles quarterfinals last week, 5-4 (4), 4-1. While the Williams sisters do have a phenomenal 27-7 record in their nine U.S. Open doubles appearances, winning titles in 1999 and 2009, they also lost in the first round the last time they played together at the tournament in 2022. Ahead of tonight’s doubles, Venus was pretty clear on her future, telling reporters, “I don’t think I should have to [contemplate my future]. My mind is fully focused on that: how I recover from this completely insane evening and get ready for the next one.” That’s the mindset for tonight. Get ready.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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