Venus Double-Fault Ends Williams Sisters' Cincinnati Dream

The Reunion That Captivated the Tennis World

Serena and Venus Williams' much-anticipated return to the doubles court lasted exactly one match. Playing at the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday with a wildcard entry, the sisters were eliminated in the first round by Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns, losing 6-2, 1-6, 10-8 in a match tiebreak. It was their first competitive doubles appearance together since the 2022 US Open, where they had also fallen in the first round.

The match was one of the most talked-about events on the Cincinnati schedule. Serena, 44, has been mounting a gradual comeback to competitive tennis, and Cincinnati offered a rare opportunity to see her partner with Venus again in a WTA 1000 setting. Venus, 46, has remained active on the WTA Tour in singles and earned her wildcard partly through a singles victory in Washington last week. Together they are the most decorated doubles team in women's tennis history, holding 14 Grand Slam doubles titles.

How the Match Unfolded

Kostyuk and Stearns came out sharply and took the opening set 6-2 with clean, assertive tennis. The Williams sisters regrouped, and with the Cincinnati crowd fully behind them, they produced a dominant second set 6-1 to level the match and send the stadium into a frenzy. A match tiebreak would settle the first-round encounter.

In the tiebreak the contest was close throughout. With Kostyuk and Stearns leading 9-8, Venus was at the service line on match point. A double fault handed their opponents the winning point. Final score: 10-8 in the tiebreak, 6-2, 1-6, 10-8 overall for Kostyuk and Stearns.

The moment will be replayed for years. A double fault is the cruelest way for a match to end, and Venus — a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion and a 14-time doubles major winner — will feel it deeply. The sisters had worked their way back from a set down, and the Cincinnati crowd had dared to believe in a fairytale ending. Kostyuk and Stearns, composed throughout, took their chance when it came.

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Stearns and Kostyuk Were the Better Team on the Day

Peyton Stearns, ranked inside the WTA top 30 in singles, and Marta Kostyuk, the Ukrainian ranked in the top 25, formed a pairing with genuine competitive pedigree. They handled the unusual pressure of facing two legends in front of an emotionally charged crowd, stayed disciplined in the opening set, rode out the Williams comeback in the second, and made the decisive play in the tiebreak. It was a professional performance in difficult circumstances.

Cincinnati Continues — and the US Open Awaits

Despite the defeat, this Cincinnati appearance was meaningful in itself. For Serena, any competitive match at this stage of her comeback represents a step forward on a journey the whole sport is watching. For Venus, who refuses to stop competing at 46, sharing a court again with her sister in a major WTA event was a moment both will cherish.

The Cincinnati Open moves into its latter stages in singles, where Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina are all still in contention. The US Open begins August 30 in New York — the next chapter where the Williams sisters may well write another line of their extraordinary story.