Women's tennis legends Serena Williams, 44, and Venus Williams, 46, suffered a narrow defeat in their first doubles match back at the US Open in four years.

The Williams sisters lost 2-1 to Taiwan's Chan Hao-ching and Australia's Maya Joint after a grueling three-hour and two-minute battle in the women's doubles first round of the 2026 US Open held at Flushing Meadows in New York, USA.

Having claimed the second-set tiebreak, the Williams sisters even overcame a 4-1 deficit in games during the third set to force the match into a 10-point tiebreak.

However, after taking a 5-0 lead in the tiebreak, they failed to maintain their advantage, and following double faults from both players, they suffered a 10-7 comeback loss.

The Williams sisters returned as a doubles pair last month at the Cincinnati Open, marking their first reunion since the 2022 US Open, and received a wildcard to step onto the US Open stage together for the first time in four years.

Unusually, their first-round doubles match was scheduled as a night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium, drawing a packed crowd of approximately 23,000 spectators.

Including this tournament, the Williams sisters have competed together in the US Open women's doubles 10 times, posting a career record of 27 wins and 8 losses.

They reached the top at the tournament in 1999 and 2009, while in US Open singles, Serena has won six times and Venus twice.

The pair has advanced to major tournament women's doubles finals 14 times, winning every single one without a defeat.

In major singles, Serena has claimed the title 23 times and Venus 7 times.

They also combined to win women's doubles gold medals at the 2000 Sydney, 2008 Beijing, and 2012 London Olympics.

Joint, who defeated the Williams sisters, said after the match, "It is truly special to be able to play against tennis legends. Both of them are my idols."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)