Chan and Joint Deny Williams Sisters in Three-Hour US Open Thriller

What happened

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm7AvcXCtmA

Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint ended Venus and Serena Williams' return to US Open women's doubles with a 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(7) first-round victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The official US Open report recorded a match time of three hours and two minutes as the 14th-seeded team survived a late surge from the American sisters and secured the deciding match tiebreak 10-7.

Chan and Joint established the early advantage by taking the opening set, but the Williams sisters forced a decider after winning the second-set tiebreak 8-6. The contest remained unsettled deep into the third set. The Guardian reported that Venus and Serena recovered after trailing 4-1 in that set, then carried their momentum into the match tiebreak by building a 5-0 lead. Chan and Joint responded under intense pressure, erased the deficit and closed the match before a crowd firmly supporting the home team.

Why it matters

The match marked the Williams sisters' first appearance together in a Grand Slam doubles draw since the 2022 US Open. Their partnership owns 14 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, including two championships in New York, so the return carried significance beyond an ordinary opening-round contest. The official tournament coverage described a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium and treated the match as one of the central events of Day 6.

The result also highlighted the composure of Chan and Joint. They entered as the seeded pair but played in an atmosphere shaped by the return of two of the sport's most accomplished champions. Falling five points behind at the start of the final tiebreak left little margin for another error. Their recovery turned a likely defeat into a place in the second round and prevented the Williams sisters from completing a dramatic comeback.

Tournament impact

Chan and Joint advance while one of the draw's most decorated teams exits immediately. The Williams sisters' combined record and profile made them a dangerous unseeded entry, especially once the match moved onto the tournament's largest court. Removing them ends that uncertainty for the teams remaining in their section and keeps the No. 14 seeds on course in the doubles bracket.

The defeat does not diminish the level of resistance Venus and Serena produced after losing the first set. They extended an established doubles pairing beyond three hours, won a pressure-filled second-set tiebreak and recovered from a break deficit in the third. Those phases made the deciding reversal more notable: Chan and Joint had to withstand both the opponents' improvement and the crowd's momentum to advance.

What to watch

The next question is whether Chan and Joint can convert the confidence of this escape into a deeper run. Their ability to reset after losing the second set and falling 5-0 behind in the match tiebreak gives them a clear example of problem-solving under tournament pressure. The workload is also relevant, because a three-hour first-round doubles match is demanding and recovery becomes part of preparation for the next round.

For the Williams sisters, the loss closes this doubles campaign after a match that demonstrated both their enduring shot-making and the difficulty of sustaining control against a current seeded team. Any decision about future appearances belongs to the players; the confirmed result is that their 2026 New York reunion ended in the first round, narrowly and after one of the tournament's longest, most dramatic doubles contests to date.

Confidence

High. The score, duration, seedings and match-tiebreak sequence were reported by the official US Open site, with the comeback details also corroborated by The Guardian, WTA and Associated Press coverage.