Serena and Venus Williams made their long-awaited return to doubles Monday, turning Cincinnati’s center court into a celebration of one of tennis’ most successful sibling partnerships despite an opening-round loss.
The Williams sisters, playing together for the first time since the 2022 U.S. Open, fell 2-6, 6-1, 10-8 to Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk and American Peyton Stearns at the Cincinnati Open.
The result mattered less than the occasion for Serena, 44, and Venus, 46, who have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together and three Olympic gold medals.
“It was fun and special,” Serena told reporters. “We kicked off a little rust in the middle of the match. We were starting to feel it, and it was really fun. It was really cool to be able to do this again.”
The sisters appeared to be heading for a decisive victory after recovering from a slow start and dominating the second set. But Kostyuk and Stearns held their nerve in the 10-point match tiebreaker, recovering after the Williams sisters erased an 8-2 deficit.
Venus’ double fault on match point ended the comeback and gave Kostyuk and Stearns the victory.
Despite the defeat, Serena said the reunion was never primarily about winning the tournament.
“I didn't come here to win this tournament,” she said. “It's about having fun, and I did want to do the best I could.”
The Williams sisters last played doubles together at the 2022 U.S. Open, where they lost to Czech pair Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova.
They had been scheduled to reunite at Wimbledon earlier this year but withdrew after Serena suffered a knee injury during her opening-round singles loss. The sisters received a wild card into the Cincinnati doubles draw earlier this month.
Venus said their return had been a long time coming.
“I think we've waited a long time to get back on the doubles court, even this year,” she said. “Eventually, we find our way to each other.”
The packed stadium added another layer to the occasion for Serena, who acknowledged that the sisters’ return is unlikely to become a regular fixture.
“It was weird to be in a full stadium. This is not my usual Monday night,” she said. “This is not forever. It's ... not long. We don't have to play every week. It's a bit different.”
Venus had also competed in the Cincinnati singles draw, losing 6-2, 6-2 to Colombia’s Emiliana Arango.
While the Williams sisters provided the day’s biggest attraction, the Cincinnati tournament also produced significant results across the men’s and women’s draws.
Men’s top seed Alexander Zverev advanced to the fourth round with a 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (8-6) victory over France’s Terrance Atmane.
The German, the reigning French Open champion, earned his 46th ATP win of the season after a tightly contested match against Atmane, a Cincinnati semifinalist in 2025.
Zverev sealed the victory with a powerful backhand down the line.
“He was playing incredibly aggressively, hitting forehands all over the court,” Zverev said. “He made it difficult for you to play aggressive yourself.”
Fifth-seeded Alex de Minaur also advanced, overcoming multiple rain delays to beat Arthur Fery 7-5, 7-6 (7-3).
De Minaur led 5-1 in the second set after a 30-minute stoppage before Fery, a Wimbledon semifinalist, mounted a late challenge. The Australian eventually prevailed in the tiebreak despite committing 29 unforced errors.
“You never want to go into a rain delay leading 5-1,” de Minaur said. “It was a tough day with all the interruptions. I can't remember a match that started and stopped so many times. I'm happy with how I found a way.”
De Minaur will next face France’s Arthur Fils, who defeated ninth-seeded Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-1, 6-7 (7-9), 6-3.
Spain’s 12th-seeded teenager Rafael Jodar continued his breakthrough run by beating Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo 6-2, 6-1. He next faces Italian Flavio Cobolli, the French Open finalist.
“A Masters 1000 is something I dreamed of as a kid,” Jodar said. “I'm grateful for the position I'm in now.”
Argentina’s Thiago Tirante, who eliminated Novak Djokovic in the second round, advanced by beating Spain’s Martin Landaluce 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4).
Brazilian Joao Fonseca withdrew from the tournament because of an abdominal injury.
In the women’s draw, two-time Grand Slam champion Elena Rybakina survived two one-hour rain delays to beat Magdalena Frech 6-4, 7-6 (7-2).
“It was a crazy day, to be honest, coming out every time into clouds and humidity,” Rybakina said. “I was on top of the ball in the tiebreak, but it was a difficult one.”
Defending champion Iga Swiatek also advanced, recovering from a first-set loss to defeat Greece’s Maria Sakkari 4-6, 6-1, 6-1.
Third-seeded American Jessica Pegula, a finalist in Cincinnati in 2024, beat compatriot Emma Navarro 7-5, 6-2.
Amanda Anisimova also advanced after overcoming 17th-seeded Filipina Alexandra Eala 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
The match featured a marathon 20-minute fifth game in the opening set, with Eala recovering from an early break before Anisimova fought back to take control.
