The Williams sisters made their mark on the US Open court one final time, captivating a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium as fans watched in rapt silence during points—a rare sight for the usually vocal crowd. Venus and Serena, whose combined 30 Grand Slam singles titles and 14 doubles victories revolutionized tennis in the 1990s, are widely seen as possibly playing their last major tournament together.
Serena, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, returned to the sport this summer after retirement, sparking enthusiasm across generations of fans. Seven-time major winner Venus, who has stayed in the game with occasional wildcards rather than fully retiring, drew little criticism for her continued presence at Flushing Meadows.
Although the duo had hoped to compete at Wimbledon earlier this year, Serena’s knee injury during her singles match—lost to 20-year-old Choi Ji-hee—kept them out. They eventually reuniting at the Cincinnati WTA event, where they fell to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in a match tie-break, before meeting the same fate in New York.
In a gripping contest, Venus and Serena lost the first set against Chan Hao-ching and Choi Ji-hee but fought back, saving four break points during the second set to level the match. The Americans again took control in the deciding set but ultimately faltered in the tie-break.
Despite the loss, the veteran pair showed commendable resilience, with strong groundstrokes and sharp movement earning high praise. Joint described the atmosphere as surreal, noting it was an honor to compete against such legends in front of such a passionate crowd.
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