SERENA AND VENUS WILLIAMS LOSE CINCINNATI DOUBLES RETURN

Serena and Venus Williams lost their first doubles match together in four years at the Cincinnati Open, falling 6-2 1-6 10-8 to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns. The sisters, given wildcards into the tournament, fought back from 6-0 down in the deciding tie-break but the match was decided by a double fault from Venus while attempting to save match point. Serena described the experience as "fun" and "special", saying the pair had "kicked off a little rust" during the contest.

The Williams sisters last competed together at the 2022 US Open, which marked Serena's final tournament before she "evolved away" from tennis. The 44-year-old returned to competition at Wimbledon in July as a wildcard but suffered a knee injury in her first-round singles loss to Maya Joint, forcing her to postpone a planned doubles return with Venus. The 46-year-old has played multiple hard-court events in recent weeks. Together, the pair hold 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals. Venus stated: "We've waited a long time to get back on the doubles court. Eventually, we find our way to each other."

Both sisters will require wildcards to compete at the US Open, which begins on 30 August. Serena has played only one singles match since her return, whilst Venus has lost her past 13 singles matches but reached the quarter-finals of the women's doubles at the US Open last year. Neither has yet confirmed their participation in the tournament.