Overview
- The Williams sisters reunited in doubles and lost to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns 6-2, 1-6, 10-8 in Cincinnati on Tuesday in a first-round match that ended in a deciding super tiebreak.
- Reports say the pair entered Cincinnati via a tournament wild card, a discretionary slot often given to high-profile players who do not qualify directly.
- Serena resumed competitive play in 2026 after retiring in 2022 but has had limited success so far, and the sisters had earlier plans to team at Wimbledon that were reported differently across outlets.
- Italian coverage has raised unverified claims linking Serena’s return to promotion of weight-loss injections and a business tie involving her husband Alexis Ohanian, but those commercial and medical links have not been independently confirmed.
- The loss recalls the duo’s dominant past—the pair won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and three Olympic golds—and leaves open whether they will receive a wild card to play together at the US Open later this month.