Venus and Serena Williams Turn Back Clock in U.S. Open Thriller
Venus and Serena Williams turned back the clock under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium Friday night, battling through a three-set U.S. Open doubles thriller that lasted more than three hours.
In what can only be described as an epic three-set thriller, the Williams sisters pushed No. 14 seeds Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint to the brink before falling 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(7) in the first round of U.S. Open women’s doubles. The match lasted just over three hours.
After a slow start and a 6-3 first-set loss, Venus and Serena fought their way back through a grueling second set, eventually taking it in a tiebreak. They carried that fight into the third, rallying from 4-1 down before forcing another tiebreak.
Then, for a few minutes, it looked like history might be waiting for them.
The sisters jumped out to a commanding 5-0 lead in the deciding tiebreak, bringing Arthur Ashe Stadium to life. But Chan and Joint stormed back, ultimately taking the tiebreak 10-7 and ending the Williams sisters’ run.
If this was the last time Venus and Serena walked off the court together at Arthur Ashe Stadium, then boy am I glad I got to watch them play.
Between the laughs, the grimaces, the camaraderie and the love, Venus and Serena reminded everyone of what has always made them so special. These are two generational talents who returned to the sport and gave tennis fans one more night of exemplary play.
For three hours, they brought the people inside that stadium—and those of us watching from the other side of a screen—together to root for two of the greatest athletes the sport has ever seen.
This is why I love sports.
The loss marked just the third time the Williams sisters have been eliminated in the opening round of U.S. Open doubles. Their history together includes 14 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles, including U.S. Open championships in 1999 and 2009.
And Friday night showed that they can still compete.
They showed grit. They showed determination. And, over more than three hours, they showed the endurance necessary to stay in a match against a seeded doubles team.
Much will also be made of the sisters’ decision not to participate in the madatory post-match press conference. Their absence drew criticism and could subject them to fines under Grand Slam media rules.
I understand that tennis relies heavily on etiquette and tradition but after decades of giving this sport—and its fans—some of the greatest tennis we have ever seen, I’m willing to give Venus and Serena some grace after a three-hour loss.
They don’t owe us an immediate answer about what comes next. Maybe that’s part of what made Friday night so compelling. We don’t know whether we’ll get to see the Williams sisters walk onto that court together again.
I, for one, can only hope we get one more glimpse of greatness under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium. Only time will tell.
