New York, Aug 29 (AP) Venus Williams might downplay her doubles prowess, but her record of 14 major titles with her sister Serena suggests otherwise. Despite Serena's absence, Venus showcased her skills on Thursday, partnering with Leylah Fernandez to secure a victory in women's doubles at the U.S. Open—the first in more than a decade. The duo triumphed over the sixth-seeded team of Lyudmyla Kichenok and Ellen Perez with a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win.
At the match's conclusion, the 45-year-old Williams performed her iconic twirl-and-wave gesture and praised Fernandez, calling her “the best partner I ever played with — outside of Serena.” The 22-year-old Canadian even reminded Venus of her legendary sister.
“Our energy really matched each other in terms of determination, in terms of not giving up, in terms of really still just focused and dialed in in every single thing,” Williams remarked. “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.”
Williams and Fernandez, the 2021 singles runner-up at Flushing Meadows, were warmly received by fans at a nearly-packed Louis Armstrong Stadium, prompting multiple requests from the chair umpire for quiet. The crowd awarded them with standing ovations after their comeback in the opening tiebreaker, where they clawed back from a 5-2 deficit, and at the match's conclusion, which lasted 90 minutes.
“Leylah is a good player, (and) Venus is also a good doubles player,” Kichenok acknowledged. “They have played doubles many times. They know what it is. Maybe it took a bit of time to adjust at the beginning, but then they found their rhythm.”
Throughout the match, enthusiastic chants of “Here we go, Venus, here we go!” echoed, complemented by a sign proclaiming, “Welcome to the Williams show.” Williams expressed gratitude saying, “Wow, thank you, you guys. Thank you for showing up for us.”
This marked Williams' first women's doubles victory in New York since 2014 and at any Grand Slam tournament since the 2018 French Open. “It's an area that I'm not that comfortable in, being on a doubles court, but I think you get to some point in the match where you stop thinking about it,” Williams admitted. “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.”
With an illustrious career boasting seven Grand Slam singles titles and two more in mixed doubles, Williams had taken a 16-month hiatus before returning to the tour in July, competing in both singles and doubles.
“With the amount of matches I've played, I'm progressing very quickly,” she stated. “I didn't have to come back to play tennis, but eventually I found my way back.”
At Flushing Meadows, Williams was eliminated in the first rounds of mixed doubles and singles but received a wild card entry for women's doubles. Fernandez described the opportunity as “like a kid on Christmas Day,” her delight evident as she celebrated the chance to play alongside Williams.
Fernandez was astounded by the comparison to Serena, saying, “It's probably the biggest compliment I've ever gotten. I feel like those are big shoes to fill.”
Back in doubles at the U.S. Open for the first time since 2022, Williams looks forward to continuing her quest in New York, having pushed 11th-seeded Karolina Muchova to three sets before exiting the singles draw. Next, they face Ulrikke Eikeri and Eri Hozumi in the second round of doubles.
Williams expressed optimism, stating, “I actually feel great. With some luck, we'll stay, maybe win another round and just keep getting better.” (AP) AM AM AM
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