Williams sisters exit in tiebreak thriller

NEW YORK (AP):

Serena and Venus Williams were once again the main attraction at the US Open. Carlos Alcaraz was not about to miss it.

“I think there is no better plan (than) to watch the doubles, the Williamses once again, while getting a treatment,” the defending men’s champion said after winning his match. “I’m going to be ready for that.”

The match lived up to expectations. The sisters rallied to force a 10-point match tiebreaker but squandered a 5-0 lead before falling 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (10-7) to Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint on Friday night.

It was the Williams sisters’ first US Open appearance since 2022 at the Grand Slam tournament they won together twice. They battled back from 4-1 down in the third set to level the match before faltering late in front of a disappointed crowd that desperately willed them on.

“I think the crowd is pretty much what we expected. We expected a full stadium, everyone cheering for them, which, pretty much was that,” Joint said. “But the atmosphere is something that, yeah, it’s super special. Not really going to get again with many other players.”

Serena returned to tennis this year at age 44, while Venus has continued to compete on tour at 46.

Perhaps it was their age, Serena’s lengthy layoff or simply nerves. Whatever the reason, both players double-faulted during the tiebreaker after producing some brilliant tennis late in the third set and in the opening stages of the decider.

The United States Tennis Association said the sisters would not be available for comment.

Serena lost to Joint for the second time this summer. She was beaten by the Australian in three sets at Wimbledon in her return to singles competition, and she and Venus later withdrew from their doubles match after Serena injured her knee.

That delayed their return to the Grand Slam stage until New York, where they captured titles together in 1999 and 2009 and now hold a 27-8 record from 10 appearances.

The contest was given a place in the night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium, something rarely seen for a first-round doubles match.

Once dominant force

The sisters were once the dominant force in women’s doubles, combining to win 14 Grand Slam titles and Olympic gold medals in 2000, 2008 and 2012. They also shared the world No. 1 doubles ranking for eight weeks.

A first-round loss in 2022 appeared to mark their final appearance together, with Serena stepping away from tennis later that year after winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles. Her return this summer has brought two painful defeats alongside her older sister. They also lost in a match tiebreaker at the Cincinnati Open.

Venus was also beaten in the first round of singles.

Sabalenka advances despite distraction

Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was finally tested, both by her opponent and by an unusual distraction, in her latest victory.

Sabalenka defeated Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4. The top seed faced a sterner challenge in the second set, which lasted 54 minutes, one minute longer than her entire previous match.

Attempting to become the first player since Serena Williams from 2012-14 to win three consecutive US Open titles, Sabalenka will meet Taylor Townsend in the round of 16.

Sabalenka was serving in the third game of her match in Louis Armstrong Stadium when she twice tossed the ball before letting it drop. She then approached the chair umpire to report that she could smell marijuana.

“I was like, guys, you can do whatever, you can smoke whatever, you can relax as much as you can, but please, do not do it around the tennis courts,” Sabalenka said, when asked what she was thinking at the time. “It’s a bit tricky to handle that smell while you’re trying to compete at your best.”

Jessica Pegula, the No. 3 seed, recovered from a poor start to beat 2021 runner-up Leylah Fernandez 1-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Fernandez, who had not won a Grand Slam singles match this year before arriving in New York, was seeking her first US Open fourth-round appearance since her run to the final five years ago. Pegula said Fernandez presented different challenges despite their previous meeting.