US OPEN. New York. By Leo Canaparo. Photo courtesy USTA
Serena and Venus Williams returned to the US Open doubles court on Friday night and, once again, Arthur Ashe Stadium became the stage for a very special chapter in their extraordinary tennis story.
The result was not the one the thousands of fans inside the stadium had hoped for. But after three hours of drama, emotion and spectacular swings, the Williams sisters left the court having delivered exactly what tennis fans had come to see: one more unforgettable night together.
Serena and Venus were defeated by Maya Joint and Hao-Ching Chan 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(7) in a thrilling first-round battle that was ultimately decided by a super tiebreak. The Americans had fought their way back into the match after losing the opening set and even built a 5-0 lead in the deciding tiebreak, but Joint and Chan managed to produce an extraordinary comeback to survive.
For the Williams sisters, the scoreboard was painful. But the significance of their return went far beyond the result.More than four years after their previous Grand Slam doubles appearance together, Serena and Venus once again walked onto the court as partners, recreating one of the most successful doubles partnerships in tennis history.
And the numbers behind their partnership are remarkable.Together, the Williams sisters have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, reaching a perfect 14-0 record in Grand Slam finals. Their collection includes six Wimbledon titles, four Australian Opens, two Roland Garros crowns and two US Open championships. They are one of the very few teams in history to have won every Grand Slam tournament multiple times.
Their first major victories came in 1999, when they won both Roland Garros and the US Open. Ten years later, they returned to the top of the sport, winning four consecutive Grand Slam doubles titles from the 2009 Australian Open through the 2010 French Open.
Their dominance was not limited to the Grand Slam tournaments. Serena and Venus also won three Olympic gold medals together, triumphing at Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008 and London 2012. They remain one of the most successful doubles teams in Olympic tennis history.
Their partnership produced 22 doubles titles overall, with an extraordinary record of 14 victories in 15 finals. For years, their combination of power, athleticism, anticipation and, above all, their extraordinary understanding of each other’s game made them one of the most difficult teams in women’s tennis to beat.
Perhaps the most impressive statistic is that they were 14-0 in Grand Slam finals as a team.That means that whenever Serena and Venus reached the championship match at a major, they never lost.
But Friday night was not about statistics. It was about emotion.Arthur Ashe Stadium was packed with fans who understood that they might be watching something that will never happen again. The atmosphere was closer to a celebration than a traditional first-round doubles match. Every Williams winner was greeted with enormous cheers, and every change of ends became another opportunity for the crowd to appreciate two athletes who have transformed American tennis and women’s sports.
At 44, Serena returned to the US Open after a long absence from competitive tennis, while 46-year-old Venus had already experienced the emotion of playing singles at Flushing Meadows earlier in the tournament.
Together, they were once again sisters, teammates and competitors.
And for long stretches, they looked capable of extending the night.
After dropping the first set, Serena and Venus fought back in the second, refusing to allow their opponents to dictate the rhythm. The Americans eventually forced a deciding super tiebreak, sending the Ashe crowd into another celebration.
Then came the final drama.The Williams sisters opened the super tiebreak with a 5-0 advantage, seemingly on the verge of completing an extraordinary comeback. But Joint and Chan refused to surrender. Point by point, they turned the match around, eventually winning seven consecutive points to close out one of the most dramatic matches of the tournament.
For Joint and Chan, it was a victory they will remember for the rest of their careers.For Serena and Venus, it was another reminder of what their partnership has meant to tennis.
They may not have lifted another trophy together in New York. They may not have added another chapter to their perfect Grand Slam final record. But once again, the Williams sisters demonstrated something that cannot be measured by rankings or trophies: their ability to bring an entire stadium together.
Their legacy as a doubles team was already secure long before Friday night.Fourteen Grand Slam titles. Three Olympic gold medals. Twenty-two doubles championships. A 14-0 record in major finals.
And now, another unforgettable night at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The Williams sisters lost the match.But in many ways, tennis won by having them back together.