Serena and Venus Williams exit US Open doubles in three-set loss to Joint and Chan

Three-hour duel on Arthur Ashe Stadium

Serena Williams and Venus Williams exited the 2026 US Open women's doubles tournament on Friday, 4 September, falling to 14th seeds Maya Joint and Chan Hao-ching. Playing before 23,000 spectators at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the American pair pushed the contest to a deciding super tiebreak before losing 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(10-7) in a match lasting just over three hours. Serena, 44, took the court in a customized bomber jacket decorated with patches of her past tournament victories, joined by her 46-year-old sister.

Chan and Joint took the opening set 6-3, but the Americans responded in the second set, producing 20 winners and saving four break points to win the tiebreak 8-6. Joint and Chan led 4-1 in the final set before Serena and Venus leveled the score to force the match tiebreak. The sisters built a 5-0 lead in the 10-point tiebreaker, but Joint and Chan secured 10 of the final 12 points to advance.

Reactions and post-match media absence

Following the match on court, Joint reflected on facing players she had watched while growing up in Michigan.

She's my idol, both of them. I grew up in Michigan so I always looked up to them. Being able to play them twice is amazing.

The Williams sisters did not attend the post-match press conference. The United States Tennis Association confirmed to reporters that the pair was not available to the media. Grand Slam regulations require players to attend post-match conferences unless prevented by documented injury or medical conditions, with violations carrying potential fines of up to $50,000 (approximately €43,000).

Chronology of the 2026 summer comeback

The New York tournament concluded a summer comeback that Serena began at the suggestion of her daughter, four years after stepping away from tennis at the 2022 US Open. At Wimbledon in July, Serena entered the singles draw as a wildcard, losing in three sets to Joint, before a knee injury forced the sisters to withdraw from their planned doubles appearance.

Venus and Serena reunited on court at the Cincinnati Open in August, losing in three sets to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns. In New York, Venus lost in the singles first round to Sofia Kenin, her 15th consecutive singles defeat. Serena competed in the mixed doubles bracket alongside Carlos Alcaraz, reaching the quarter-finals before Friday's doubles match.

Career doubles record and partnership history

The result brought the Williams sisters' career doubles record at the US Open to 27 wins and 8 losses across 10 tournament appearances. Together, Serena and Venus have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles without losing a Grand Slam doubles final, including US Open trophies in 1999 and 2009. Their most recent Grand Slam doubles title as a team came at Roland Garros in 2018. Across singles play, the sisters have accumulated 30 Grand Slam titles, with 23 for Serena and seven for Venus.