Williams Sisters Fall 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-7(7) in US Open Doubles Return

Q: What really caused Venus and Serena's shocking third-set collapse against Chan and Joint after a three-hour grueling battle?

There is no single confirmed cause, but the evidence points to a mix of fatigue, rust, and late-match nerves. The clearest factual trigger was the match tiebreak itself. After building a 5-0 lead in the 10-point breaker, Venus and Serena lost control as both sisters committed double faults at key moments. The Associated Press account specifically noted those errors after they had played brilliantly to get ahead. In a format where a few points decide everything, those lapses were decisive. The wider context also matters. The match lasted more than three hours, and both players were returning to Grand Slam doubles together for the first time in four years. Serena, 44, had only recently come back after a long layoff and had withdrawn from Wimbledon doubles earlier in the summer because of a knee injury. Venus, 46, has remained active, but the pair were still rebuilding rhythm as a team after limited recent match play, including another heartbreaking match-tiebreak loss in Cincinnati. Their opponents also deserve credit. Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint are established doubles competitors, and they stayed composed after falling behind badly in the third-set breaker. Their ability to reset, attack second serves, and capitalize on the Williamses’ mistakes helped turn the match. So the “collapse” was less a mystery than a convergence of pressure, physical wear, and execution errors at the worst possible time.

Q: After blowing a massive 5-0 lead in the final set, is this the final chapter for the Williams sisters' legendary doubles partnership?

It is too early to call this the final chapter. The loss was painful because Venus and Serena Williams led 5-0 in the third set and still fell 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(10). But the broader evidence suggests this was not framed as a farewell. They entered the US Open on a wild card, had also played together recently in Cincinnati, and Venus said they had “waited a long time to get back on the doubles court” and were still “getting into our stride.” That language points more to a restart than an ending. There are also practical reasons not to overread one collapse. Both sisters are returning after long layoffs, and Serena’s 2026 comeback has already been interrupted by injury, including her Wimbledon withdrawal earlier this summer. In that context, a three-hour match on Arthur Ashe that pushed an established doubles team to the limit is also evidence that they remain competitive, even if closing out matches may be the hardest part. Age and fitness make any future schedule uncertain. Serena is 44, Venus 46, and they are relying on wild cards because they do not have the rankings for direct entry. That means their partnership is likely to be selective and event-by-event rather than sustained week to week. So the fairest reading is that this could be one of the last chapters, but there is no clear sign it was the last one. Unless either sister says otherwise, the match looked more like an emotional, unfinished return than a definitive goodbye.

Q: Will Serena's narrow US Open defeat inspire another comeback, or was this wild-card entry her ultimate farewell to New York?

Serena Williams appears more likely to continue than to treat this as a final goodbye to New York. The strongest evidence is her own recent language. Before the US Open, Williams told ESPN she would “probably” play singles again and added, “I think I will.” She has also told People she has “no agenda right now” and is taking it “one match at a time,” which suggests an open-ended return rather than a farewell tour. After withdrawing from Wimbledon doubles because of a knee injury, she posted: “Stay tuned to a city near you,” and coach Rennae Stubbs said her intention was to keep playing through the North American hard-court swing as long as her body allowed. Her US Open doubles loss with Venus does not read like a closing chapter so much as proof she can still compete at a meaningful level. The sisters pushed established doubles players Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint to a final-set tiebreak after more than three hours and nearly completed the comeback from 5-0 in the third. That performance, plus Serena’s earlier 2026 return at Wimbledon and mixed doubles appearance in New York, points to a player still testing what is physically possible at 44. The main uncertainty is health. Wimbledon showed how quickly injury can disrupt plans, and Williams herself said she skipped US Open singles because she had not fully recovered. So another comeback seems more plausible than a farewell, but it will depend less on emotion than on whether her body lets her keep going.

3 articles · Updated · Bleacher Report · Sep 5

Serena and Venus Williams dropped their first-round US Open doubles match in a final-set super tiebreak after leading 5-0, with Maya Joint and Hao-Ching Chan closing out a 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-7(7) win.
26 unforced errors from the Williams sisters, versus 15 for Joint and Chan, undercut a comeback effort that saw them erase a 4-1 deficit in the third set and force the decider.
Arthur Ashe Stadium hosted the sisters' first US Open doubles match since 2022, and the 44-year-old Serena and 46-year-old Venus still pushed the younger pairing to the limit.
The loss ended a much-anticipated return for one of tennis's most decorated teams, which owns 14 Grand Slam women's doubles titles and a 14-0 record in major finals.