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Serena and Venus Williams Return to U.S. Open Doubles Competition

Serena and Venus Williams will pair up for their first U.S. Open doubles match in four years, facing Maya Joint and Hao-Ching Chan on Friday night.

Published September 5, 2026 at 12:06 AM EDT

The short answer

Serena and Venus Williams will pair up for their first U.S. Open doubles match in four years, facing Maya Joint and Hao-Ching Chan on Friday night.

Serena and Venus Williams Return to U.S. Open Doubles Competition

The Facts

Who
Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Maya Joint, and Hao-Ching Chan
What
Serena and Venus Williams return to women's doubles at the U.S. Open.
When
Friday night, 2026
Where
Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York
Why
The Williams sisters are returning to the U.S. Open doubles tournament for the first time since 2022, facing the player who defeated Serena in singles at Wimbledon.

Timeline of what happened

Key dates and decisions, in the order they occurred.

  1. 1999

    Williams sisters win first U.S. Open doubles title

  2. 2009

    Williams sisters win second U.S. Open doubles title

  3. 2019

    Venus Williams wins last first-round singles match at U.S. Open

  4. 2022

    Williams sisters last compete in U.S. Open doubles together

  5. July 2025

    Venus Williams records last singles victory in Washington

  6. August 17, 2026

    Sisters lose doubles match at Cincinnati Open

  7. August 28, 2026

    Yahoo Sports writer previews U.S. Open field

Serena and Venus Williams are scheduled to compete together in the women's doubles tournament at the U.S. Open for the first time in four years. The sisters will play a first-round match Friday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium against the 14th-seeded team of Maya Joint and Hao-Ching Chan.

The pairing follows Serena Williams' return to the sport this year after four years out of action. During her return at Wimbledon, she lost a singles match to Joint and withdrew from a planned doubles pairing with Venus due to a knee injury. Earlier this week, Venus Williams exited the singles tournament following a straight-set loss to Sofia Kenin in her 26th U.S. Open singles appearance.

The Williams sisters have a career record of 27-7 across nine appearances in the U.S. Open women's doubles tournament, having secured championships in 1999 and 2009. Their most recent appearance as a team at Flushing Meadows occurred in 2022, where they were defeated in the first round. In addition to the women's doubles draw, Serena Williams competed in the mixed doubles tournament last week with Carlos Alcaraz, reaching the quarterfinals before being eliminated.

The sisters, aged 44 and 46 respectively, are scheduled to play a prime-time slot. For the athletes involved, the match represents an encounter between champions and younger competitors like the 20-year-old Joint.

The outcome of this match will determine the immediate progression of the 14th-seeded team and the Williams sisters in the tournament bracket. A loss for Venus Williams followed a streak of 15 consecutive singles defeats dating back to July 2025. The first-round match is set for Friday night, with the winner advancing to the second round of the women's doubles draw.

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Questions readers ask

What happened: Serena and Venus Williams Return to U.S. Open Doubles Competition?

Serena and Venus Williams return to women's doubles at the U.S. Open.

Who is involved?

Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Maya Joint, and Hao-Ching Chan

When did this happen?

Friday night, 2026

Where did this happen?

Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York

Why does this matter?

The Williams sisters are returning to the U.S. Open doubles tournament for the first time since 2022, facing the player who defeated Serena in singles at Wimbledon.