Kostyuk-Stearns Stop The Williams Sisters: The Match Tie-Break Decides It

Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns beat Venus and Serena Williams 6-2, 1-6, 10-8 in the first round of the women's doubles in Cincinnati, on the Grandstand in Mason. The sisters' reunion, which came on a wild card, lasted one match.

The first set was one-way traffic. In the second the Williams dropped a single game, then the match moved to the match tie-break, where it was Kostyuk and Stearns who took the last points.

It was the first time Venus and Serena had played together since the first round of the 2022 US Open, when they lost 7-6(5), 6-4 to Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova on Arthur Ashe. In between there are four years and the Wimbledon withdrawal of 4 July, when Serena pulled out of the doubles with a knee she had swollen in singles.

Across the net there was a hometown player: Stearns grew up in Cincinnati and sits inside the top 60 of the rankings. For Venus it was the second defeat of the week, after the 6-2, 6-2 she took on Friday in singles from Emiliana Arango in 66 minutes, also on a wild card.

The Williams sisters brought 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and three Olympic golds onto the court. The last Major they won together remains Wimbledon 2016.