Williams Sisters Fall in Match Tie-Break on Cincinnati Doubles Return

Venus and Serena Williams were beaten in a match tie-break on their doubles return at the Cincinnati Open, losing 6-2, 1-6, 10-8 to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns. The Guardian reported that it was the sisters' first doubles match together in four years and only their second as a team in the past decade.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1lXdmPNLK8

Both partnerships entered the draw as wildcards, but Kostyuk and Stearns settled more quickly. After Venus held serve in the opening game, the Williams sisters lost five games in a row and fell 5-1 behind. Serena struggled initially for timing on her groundstrokes and rhythm on serve, while Venus supplied firm hitting and sharp work at the net.

The match shifted in the second set as Serena began to find her range. The Williams pair moved through the set 6-1 to force the deciding match tie-break. They then trailed 8-2 but closed the deficit to 9-8, giving themselves a chance to complete the comeback before a Venus double fault ended the contest.

The match was played on Cincinnati's 5,000-seat Grandstand court. According to The Guardian, every seat was occupied and additional spectators gathered around the approaches from the nearby main stadium to watch two of the most successful players in the sport's history reunite. Serena said afterward that the return was about enjoying the experience, assessing how the pair felt on court and giving supporters another opportunity to see them play.

Serena had not competed since returning to singles at Wimbledon the previous month. She suffered a knee injury during a three-set loss to Maya Joint there and subsequently withdrew from a planned doubles appearance with Venus. Her Cincinnati appearance followed that recovery, although the sisters did not confirm whether they would compete in singles, doubles or both at the upcoming US Open.

The result did not add another title to their record, but it renewed a partnership with exceptional achievements. Venus and Serena have won 14 Grand Slam women's doubles titles together and were undefeated in those finals. That total puts them joint-second among women's teams in the Open era, behind Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver. They also reached number one in the world as a pair and won three Olympic gold medals in women's doubles, with a partnership that has now extended across four decades.