Overview
- Serena and Venus Williams were beaten 2-6, 6-1, 10-8 by Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in a Monday night first-round doubles match at the Cincinnati Open.
- The match tiebreak swung dramatically as Kostyuk and Stearns led 6-0 before the Williamses rallied to 8-7 and then lost when Venus double-faulted on match point.
- The sisters entered Cincinnati as a wild-card pairing and this was their first doubles match together since the 2022 U.S. Open.
- Serena’s knee injury, suffered at Wimbledon, remains a factor in her comeback and will shape whether she seeks singles or doubles wild cards for the U.S. Open later this month.
- The loss gave a hometown moment to Mason native Peyton Stearns and underscored a broader debate about using high-profile wild cards versus creating opportunities for rising players, even as the Williamses’ 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals frame their enduring legacy.