Venus Williams Back To Form At Home; Wins First US Open Women’s Doubles Match In A Decade

Last Updated:August 29, 2025, 10:52 IST

Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez defeated Lyudmyla Kichenok and Ellen Perez at Flushing Meadows, marking Williams first US Open doubles win since 2014.

Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez at the US Open (AP)

On Thursday night at Flushing Meadows, 45-year-old tennis legend Venus Williams proved she can still shine on a doubles court—even without her sister Serena by her side.

Teaming up with Canadian star Leylah Fernandez, the 14-time doubles Grand Slam champion Williams rolled back the years to defeat sixth-seeded Lyudmyla Kichenok and Ellen Perez 7-6 (4), 6-3 in a lively second-round contest.

When the match ended after 90 minutes, Williams performed her signature twirl-and-wave for the Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd before offering high praise to her 22-year-old partner.

“She’s the best partner I ever played with — outside of Serena," Williams said, smiling.

The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion explained that Fernandez reminded her of her sister in the way she carried herself on court.

“Our energy really matched each other in terms of determination, in terms of not giving up, in terms of really still just being focused and dialed in on every single thing," Williams said. “That felt amazing because I never really played with a partner — outside of Serena, obviously — who had that kind of mentality. So it was really fun."

Ending a Long Drought

The victory marked Williams’ first women’s doubles win at the U.S. Open since 2014, when she and Serena reached the quarterfinals, and her first at any Grand Slam since the 2018 French Open.

Despite her illustrious doubles résumé, Williams admitted she still feels out of her element on the doubles court.

“It’s an area that I’m not that comfortable in, being on a doubles court," she said. “But I think you get to some point in the match where you stop thinking about it. When push comes to shove, I’ll do what I have to. But I’m a singles player, so of course, when I walk out there, I actually tell myself just to play singles and try that method. I try not to be something that I’m not."

A Career of Reinvention

Williams’ decorated career includes seven Grand Slam singles titles and two in mixed doubles, in addition to her 14 doubles majors with Serena. After being sidelined for 16 months, she returned to the tour in July, playing both singles and doubles at the Washington Open.

“With the amount of matches I’ve played, I’m progressing very quickly," she explained. “I didn’t have to come back to play tennis, but eventually I found my way back."

At this U.S. Open, Williams was eliminated in the first round of both singles and mixed doubles but received a women’s doubles wild card. Fernandez described the moment she was asked to team up with Venus as surreal.

“I felt like a kid on Christmas Day," Fernandez said. “I was jumping around with a smile on my face after getting the call."

When Williams later compared her mentality to Serena’s, Fernandez admitted she was stunned.

“It’s probably the biggest compliment I’ve ever gotten," the Canadian said. “I feel like those are big shoes to fill."

Williams, playing women’s doubles at Flushing Meadows for the first time since 2022, now advances to face Ulrikke Eikeri and Eri Hozumi in the second round.

Siddarth Sriram

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...Read More

After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term...

Read More

News18 Sports brings you the latest updates, live commentary, and highlights from cricket, football, tennis, badmintion, wwe and more. Catch breaking news, live scores, and in-depth coverage. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated!

Location :

First Published:

August 29, 2025, 10:52 IST

News sports Venus Williams Back To Form At Home; Wins First US Open Women’s Doubles Match In A Decade

Read More