Williams Sisters Reunite for U.S. Open Doubles After 4 Years at Ages 44 and 46

Q: What caused the Williams sisters to collapse after a stunning 5-0 lead in their dramatic U.S. Open return?

The Williams sisters’ collapse after leading 5-0 in the deciding U.S. Open match tiebreak was driven by a mix of fatigue, pressure and untimely errors. After more than three hours on court, Serena and Venus appeared to run out of momentum against the younger, more active pairing of Maya Joint and Chan Hao-Ching. Reports from the match said the sisters “ran out of steam” late, which mattered in a format where a few points can swing everything. The decisive shift came through mistakes at the worst moment. After building the 5-0 lead, Serena and Venus hit consecutive balls into the net, and both sisters later double-faulted during the tiebreak. Venus also sent a key return just long. In total, they lost 10 of the final 12 points, allowing Joint and Chan to turn the breaker around. Their opponents also steadied under pressure. Chan and Joint stayed aggressive, refused to panic, and took advantage of the Williamses’ drop in level. Chan’s net play and Joint’s composure were repeatedly cited as crucial in the comeback. So the collapse was not caused by one single incident. It was the combination of age and rust after a long absence, physical wear late in the match, and a cluster of costly errors under pressure, while Joint and Chan raised their level at exactly the right time.

3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Sep 4

Friday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Serena and Venus Williams will play U.S. Open doubles together for the first time since 2022, returning as one of tennis' most decorated pairings.
Olympia Ohanian, Serena's 9-year-old daughter, prompted the reunion by telling her mother to play with "Auntie VeVe," Serena said on ABC's "Good Morning America."
The sisters, who own 14 Grand Slam doubles titles including two U.S. Opens, are scheduled to face Maya Joint of Australia and Chan Hao-Ching of Taiwan in the night session.
Serena, 44, stepped away from tennis four years ago after saying she was "evolving away" from the sport; now she says she wants her children to see her compete at a different age, with singles likely next.