Serena and Venus Williams to play in women's doubles at Cincinnati Open ahead of US Open at Flushing Meadows
Updated 04/08/2026 at 10:32 GMT+1
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Superstar sisters Serena and Venus Williams have been given a wildcard entry for the women's doubles at the Cincinnati Open. Sporting icon Serena recently returned to tennis four years after retiring from the sport.
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Video credit: SNTV
The pair were set to play together at Wimbledon earlier this summer but Serena picked up a knee during her comeback in the singles, where she lost to Maya Joint.
Fans in Ohio will doubtless be delighted to see the Williams sisters in action at the prestigious event, which starts next week.
It could pave the way for Serena to return to the US Open, which begins in New York on August 30 - perhaps in both the singles and doubles.
Serena, now 44, has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles in her storied career, one short of the women's record held by Margaret Court.
Serena posted on her Instagram last month when she pulled out of the Wimbledon doubles.
"I'm heartbroken to have to withdrawn," she said.
"Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside Venus once more meant the world to me.
"I did everything I could to be ready, but unfortunately my knee just isn't ready to compete."
This will be the first time Serena and Venus have played together since the US Open in 2022, when they lost to the Czech pair of Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova.
Noskova had the finest moment of her career last month when she won the women's singles title at Wimbledon.
If this latest return works out well for Serena, it may well be that she also decides to play in 2027, when the first two majors of the year - the Australian Open and French Open - will be live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
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The Williams doubles pairing won 14 major titles together, including six Wimbledon crowns.
They also claimed three Olympic gold medals at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
That London Olympics proved to be particularly memorable for Serena, as she also won the singles title at the event, which was staged at Wimbledon.
Venus, who recently turned 46, has also been given a wildcard for the singles draw in Cincinnati. She is seeking a first singles victory of 2026 having lost in the first round of all eight of the tournaments she has entered this year.
Venus added to mixed doubles entry list, Boulter and De Minaur to play together
The latest mixed doubles entries for the US Open have been confirmed, with Venus playing alongside world No. 11 Alexander Bublik.
Brit Katie Boulter will partner up with husband Alex de Minaur after their wedding in July.
Elsewhere, Elina Svitolina will play with veteran Gael Monfils, who will turn 40 during the Grand Slam.
It was confirmed last week that Novak Djokovic would play alongside world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, while Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper have teamed up in a mixed doubles line-up full of big names.
US Open mixed doubles new entries
- Venus Williams and Alexander Bublik
- Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik
- Jelena Ostapenko and Marcelo Arevalo
- Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils
- Katie Boulter and Alex de Minaur
- Gabriela Dabrowski and Harri Heliovaara
- Maria Sakkari and Karen Khachanov
- Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul
- Tatjana Maria and Valentin Vacherot
- Anna Kalinskaya and Lorenzo Musetti
- Reese Brantmeier and Michael Zheng
- Demi Schuurs and Julian Cash
- Caty McNally and Robert Cash
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