Heartbreak in New York as Williams sisters turn back the clock, fall just short

New York: Some fans have criticised this US Open for the ambient noise emitted by attendees who won’t stop talking during play – particular on its cavernous centre court.

But reporters who have been at Arthur Ashe Stadium all week agreed the crowd was much better behaved at Friday night’s blockbuster starring Venus and Serena Williams. They were there to actually watch the game.

And so they should be. These are legends of the sport, who turned back the clock and fell agonisingly short in a doubles thriller against Australia’s Maya Joint and Taiwan’s Hao-ching Chan.

It was a match that more than lived up to the occasion; getting better over its three hours, and with plenty of quality, exciting rallies that can sometimes go missing in the stop-start, rapid-fire nature of doubles tennis.

On a hot Friday night, New York brought out its stars. Mr Beast, the YouTuber extraordinaire who has amassed more than 500 million subscribers, was on court for the coin toss, while those watching in the stands included Vogue editor and tennis tragic Anna Wintour, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Andy Dalton and wrestler Mr T.

While the crowd may have been respectful during points, it was uproarious between them. From the moment Serena, 44, and Venus, 46, emerged on the court, the parochial New York audience went predictably crazy.

It is here at the US Open that these titans won two of their 14 grand slam doubles trophies; where Venus was a singles champion twice and where Serena picked up six of her 23 singles titles. In short, they are royalty.

They last played doubles here in 2022, when they were already in their 40s, losing in the first round. The stands then, as now, were packed to the rafters with fans who thought they may not see the Williams sisters again.

Indeed, Serena retired straight after that US Open, and gave birth to her second daughter, Adira, nearly a year later.

This week she told Good Morning America her inspiration to return to the doubles court came from her older daughter, Olympia. “You need to play with Auntie VeVe,” Olympia had urged. “She said it so clear and so calm. She’s like my mom, she doesn’t really talk a lot, but when she does talk, you listen.”

Joint, who is just 20, was born in Michigan to an Australian father, and moved to Melbourne last year. This year, she knocked Serena out of Wimbledon in the first round of the singles draw.

Like a classic car that needs a few runs around the block to warm up, the Williams sisters excelled as the match went on, having lost the first set 3-6. Serena got bolder at the net, to her advantage, while Venus improved her ground strokes from the back of the court.

Challenged substantially multiple times on serve in the second, they dug in and, willed on by the home crowd, produced some of the best tennis of the match at the net and from the baseline.

Fans roared when, after a truly remarkable rally in the tiebreak, the sisters set up their fourth set point. When they ultimately prevailed to send the match to a decider, the crowd rose instantly to its feet.

The third and final set was no less exciting. Down a break early, the Williams sisters clawed their way back to even keel. An expectant crowd rode every wave, gasping as Serena smashed a forehand way long at 4-4, and cheering every winner (and occasionally, a fault from Chan or Joint, which the umpire tried to quell).

People were on their feet as Venus and Serena raced to a 5-0 lead in the deciding tiebreak when victory seemed all but assured. Somehow, they faltered, stymied by costly errors at the final hurdle. The crowd was subdued in defeat, but gave them a standing ovation as they departed.

In the end, not much separated the contenders. One too many errant net shots, one or two double faults, a few over-hit forehands. The legends matched their younger counterparts pound for pound, they put on a thrilling show, and the win could have easily been theirs.

Speaking on court after the match, Joint praised the “surreal” atmosphere, one she had not experienced before. Playing against such esteemed opponents was “super special”, she said. “I grew up in Michigan, I’ve always looked up to them … I’m lost for words.”

We often write off older bodies, especially women who have given birth. It is something every elite athlete must grapple with; on the men’s side, Novak Djokovic is doing just that after his first-round exit from the US Open at age 39, having vomited multiple times on court as he appeared to come to grips with his new limitations.

Venus and Serena Williams declined to speak to reporters after the match, so there was no opportunity to parse their thoughts on the gutting loss. But they turned back the clock with style – and though many left the stadium heartbroken, nobody left disappointed.

Watch the US Open live on 9GO!, 9NOW and Stan Sport.

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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.AdvertisementAdvertisement