Venus and Serena Williams lose opening round doubles at Cincinnati Open; first-round exit, 2-6, 6-1, 8-10

Cincinnati Open 2026: Venus and Serena Williams fall short in opening round doubles tennis match against Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns

The North American sister act fought hard to force a third set on Monday, 17 August, but ultimately bowed out of the women’s doubles draw in the Queen City.

Venus and Serena Williams turned back the tennis clock at the 2026 Cincinnati Open , putting pressure on Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk and local star Peyton Stearns during a first round women’s doubles clash on Monday (17 August).

Falling just two points shy of advancing to the second round in their first match together since the 2022 US Open, the three-time Olympic doubles champions showed hints of their previous dominance on court, ceding the match in a match tiebreak: 2-6, 6-1, (8-10).

“Obviously, I wanted to do the best that I could do, but I think having fun and also just seeing how we are and how we feel out there [were the objectives],” Serena told the press . “Being out there with the fans, too, is just really good to give them another opportunity to see us play.”

Having received a wildcard entry into the tournament often seen as a warm-up for the US Open – one of tennis’ four Grand Slams – the sisters aimed to feed off the fans’ energy and use it to people themselves deeper into the tournament.

But there wasn’t to be coronation upon their doubles debut in the Queen City, as Kostyuk and Stearns held tough on the Grandstand court – even as the capacity crowd backed the Williams sisters over a pairing featuring local talent in Stearns.

“It kind of stung a little bit that this is my hometown and it’s just a couple of family and friends cheering for us out there in our box,” Stearns said after the match. “I won’t hold it against anyone as long as they come out next round and give us some love.”

While Kostyuk and Stearns controlled the first set without much pushback from the legends on the other side of the net, they found themselves on the back foot as Venus and Serena came to life in the second.

A match tiebreak was needed to break the deadlock on court, with Kostyuk and Stearns gaining the immediate upper hand at 6-0. The Williams sisters put up a valiant fight, clawing their way back into the tiebreak at 9-8, before a double fault from Venus on match point sealed their fate.

“We waited a long time to get back on the doubles court, even this year,” Venus said of their long-awaited reunion on court. “I think eventually we would find our way to each other.”

Inevitable or not, their reunion was ultimately short-lived, with Kosytuk and Stearns advancing to the second round where they’ll play No. 3 seeds Kristina Mladenovic and Hanyu Guo .

Tennis - Cincinnati Open 2026: Order of play, all results and scores - Full list

Williams Sisters Win Second Doubles Gold - Tennis | Beijing 2008 Highlights

Don’t miss when Serena and Venus Williams make a powerful comeback and capture their second Olympic gold medal in the women’s doubles, eight years after their first gold at Sydney 2000.

Tennis | Cincinnati Open | United States