Serena and Venus Williams lost to Czechs Lucy Hradica and Linda Noskova in the first round of the US Open Tag Team Championship.
What was likely the last doubles for the two sisters in the context of a Grand Slam was lost after a close match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
But the Czechs won in two straight sets: 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. When the match ended, he hugged Venus and Serena Williams separated from each other and left the stadium with a standing ovation.
Usually, the first round of doubles matches is not played at Arthur Ashe Stadium, but the star sisters who together have won 14 Grand Slam titles are excluded. However, they have not played together since losing in the third round of the French Championships four years ago.
This was their fourth loss in doubles in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament – and the last time it happened was at the French Championships in 2013.
The sold-out stadium, with nearly 24,000 people in attendance, followed the match – just like Serena Williams’ previous two matches of the week. The 23-time Grand Slam winner has indicated that she plans to retire from tennis after the tournament.
Big sister Venus now finished playing at this year’s US Open when she lost to Belgium’s Alison van Uytvanck in the first singles round.