In what could be her first step on the road back to the U.S. Open, Serena Williams played tennis on U.S. soil for the first time in nearly four years Monday, teaming with her sister Venus in doubles at the Cincinnati Open. The sisters looked rusty in a first-round match against Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns, losing 6-2, 1-6, 1-0(8).
It was just Williams' fourth match, and her first on a hard court, since she opened the second chapter of her illustrious career earlier this summer. Four years after saying she was "evolving away" from tennis after the 2022 U.S. Open, the 23-time Grand Slam champion began her comeback on grass in June, pairing with Canadian rising star Victoria Mboko to win a doubles match at Queen's in London and ending her expedited grass-court season with a first-round singles loss at Wimbledon to the Australian Maya Joint in three tight sets.
The Williams sisters, who together have won 14 Grand Slam doubles ****** les, were supposed to team up for doubles at Wimbledon but had to withdraw before their first match because of a knee injury that Serena, 44, picked up playing Joint.
Serena Williams hasn't yet announced her plans — for singles and either of the doubles events — for the U.S. Open later this month, but if she decides she is fit enough to play, the opportunity is there for her to follow the same playbook that she used ahead of Wimbledon and contest a couple of doubles matches before taking to the singles court. The U.S. Open is holding three wild-card entries open for its lid-lifting mixed doubles tournament, the field for which was announced Monday, which could allow Williams the opportunity to get more matches under her belt. The U.S. Open's main draw singles event begins Aug. 31.
On Monday, Williams looked to be moving well in a first set that was understandably sluggish considering her lack of recent matches.
#doubles #Monday
It was just Williams' fourth match, and her first on a hard court, since she opened the second chapter of her illustrious career earlier this summer. Four years after saying she was "evolving away" from tennis after the 2022 U.S. Open, the 23-time Grand Slam champion began her comeback on grass in June, pairing with Canadian rising star Victoria Mboko to win a doubles match at Queen's in London and ending her expedited grass-court season with a first-round singles loss at Wimbledon to the Australian Maya Joint in three tight sets.
The Williams sisters, who together have won 14 Grand Slam doubles ****** les, were supposed to team up for doubles at Wimbledon but had to withdraw before their first match because of a knee injury that Serena, 44, picked up playing Joint.
Serena Williams hasn't yet announced her plans — for singles and either of the doubles events — for the U.S. Open later this month, but if she decides she is fit enough to play, the opportunity is there for her to follow the same playbook that she used ahead of Wimbledon and contest a couple of doubles matches before taking to the singles court. The U.S. Open is holding three wild-card entries open for its lid-lifting mixed doubles tournament, the field for which was announced Monday, which could allow Williams the opportunity to get more matches under her belt. The U.S. Open's main draw singles event begins Aug. 31.
On Monday, Williams looked to be moving well in a first set that was understandably sluggish considering her lack of recent matches.
#doubles #Monday
2 months ago
