Tue, 18 Aug 2026 · LIVE
Updated Aug 18, 2026 · 11:21
Cricket News Updated Aug 18, 2026

Cincinnati Open: Williams sisters fall short in doubles return

Venus and Serena Williams made a competitive return to doubles at the Cincinnati Open, but lost in three sets to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns. The sisters, playing together for the first time since the 2022 US Open, showed flashes of their former brilliance. They fell just two points short of advancing to the next round. Kostyuk and Stearns will now face third seeds Kristina Mladenovic and Hanyu Guo.

Cincinnati Open: Williams sisters fall two points short of reaching next round

Cincinnati, August 18

Venus and Serena Williams turned back the clock, but fell short against Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk and local star Peyton Stearns in their first-round women's doubles clash at the Cincinnati Open on Monday.

Serena and Venus battled in a three-set match, producing a scoreline of 6-2, 1-6, 10-8 in their first match together since the 2022 US Open, as per Olympics.com.

They fell two points short of advancing to round two, but the Williams sisters showed glimpses of the brilliance that made them multi-time Grand Slam winners one of the most decorated pair of siblings across any sport.

Having received a wildcard entry in the tournament often seen as a warm-up to the US Open, starting in six days from now, the Williams sisters hoped to feed off fans' energy and advance further, but their ambitions were cut short.

Kostyuk and Stearns will be playing number three seeds Kristina Mladenovic and Hanyu Guo in the next round.

— ANI

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