MASON − Making her first Cincinnati Open appearance since 2022, Serena Williams’ return to Warren County was short-lived.
Playing alongside her sister, Venus Williams, in the Cincinnati Open WTA doubles draw, the blockbuster duo lost in the first round to the tandem of Mason native Peyton Stearns and Marta Kostyuk, 6-2, 1-6, 1-0 (8).
It was the first time either Williams sister had appeared in the Cincinnati Open doubles draw and their first match together since the 2022 U.S. Open. They had not played in a doubles event at a non-Grand Slam since 2016 (Italian Open). They had planned to reunite at Wimbledon earlier this summer, but Serena’s knee injury forced them to withdraw.
When the sisters finally walked onto the Grandstand at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, the anticipation was unmistakable.
The sisters, owners of 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together, were in the middle of a comeback story. Across the net, there was a hometown storyline with Stearns playing against two of the most recognizable figures in tennis history. Typically, Stearns, who lost in the second round of the singles draw Saturday, gets to count on the Cincinnati crowd being in her corner. That wasn’t the case on Monday.
“It kind of stung a little bit that this is my hometown and it’s just a couple of family and friends cheering for us out there in our box,” Stearns said. “I won’t hold it against anyone as long as they come out next round and give us some love.”
Playing together for the first time, Stearns and Kostyuk battled the early butterflies and raced through the opening set, winning 6-2. The Williams sisters looked rusty, particularly on serve, winning just 14% of their second serve points while Stearns and Kostyuk repeatedly applied pressure.
In the second set, the sisters started looking like the duo that has jointly lifted several trophies, storming back to win the second set, 6-1, to send the match into a 10-point third-set tiebreak.
Stearns and Kostyuk jumped ahead 6-0. Four points from elimination, the Williams sisters rallied to cut the deficit to a single point. When Serena slammed a volley away on the first match point at 9-7, the crowd was at full throat. However, Venus would follow with an ill-timed double fault to give Stearns-Kostyuk a 10-8 win.
“It was special for me to play because it was my first playing against them,” said Kostyuk, who hit with Serena at Wimbledon. “When the draw came out, I could not have asked for a better draw. It’s an incredible experience.”
For Serena, the first-round result was secondary, admitting she wanted to do her best, but she didn’t come to Cincinnati to win the tournament.
“Obviously I wanted to do the best that I could do, but I think having fun and also just seeing how we are and how we feel out there,” Serena said. “Being out there with the fans, too, is just really good to give them another opportunity to see us play. It was just really cool.”
Venus added: “We waited a long time to get back on the doubles court even this year. I think eventually we would find our way to each other.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Serena, Venus Williams fall in Cincinnati Open doubles
Reporting by Shelby Dermer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Shelby Dermer, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
