Williams sisters lose on doubles return

What the report says

Serena and Venus Williams returned to doubles action at the Cincinnati Open, but the American sisters were beaten by Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in a close match that ended 6-2, 1-6, 10-8. The match took place before a packed crowd and marked the pair’s first doubles appearance together in four years, according to Nile Post’s report.

The article said the sisters last played together at the 2022 US Open, which was Serena’s final tournament before she stepped away from tennis. Serena has since returned to competition, while Venus has continued to play on the tour in singles and doubles. Venus said before the match that the two had been waiting a long time to get back on court together and were finding their rhythm again.

The report described a mixed contest: the Williams sisters started slowly, recovered in the second set, and then rallied from an early deficit in the deciding tie-break before their opponents held on. Serena called the comeback appearance fun and special, while Venus’s decisive double fault ended the match. The result leaves open the question of whether the sisters will seek more joint appearances, including at the US Open, where they would need wildcards to compete.