Venus Williams Claims First Us Open Doubles Win Since 2014 With Leylah Fernandez

Venus Williams insists she is not a bully doubles player. The 14 awesome championships she and Serena won together show a different story.

Without her younger sister by her side, Williams showed Thursday she’s still sewage it. Williams won a women’s doubles lucifer astatine nan US Open for nan first clip successful much than a decade, teaming pinch Leylah Fernandez to conclusion nan sixth-seeded brace of Lyudmyla Kichenok and Ellen Perez 7-6 (4), 6-3.

When it was over, nan 45-year-old Williams did her signature twirl-and-wave and called Fernandez “the champion partner I ever played pinch – extracurricular of Serena.” The 22-year-old Canadian moreover reminded Venus of Serena.

“Our power really matched each different successful position of determination, successful position of not giving up, successful position of really still conscionable focused and dialed successful in each azygous thing,” Williams said. “That felt astonishing because I ne'er really played pinch a partner – extracurricular of Serena, evidently – who had that benignant of mentality, truthful it was really fun.”

Williams and Fernandez, nan 2021 singles runner-up astatine Flushing Meadows, were dense instrumentality favorites astatine a nearly-full Louis Armstrong Stadium, and nan chair umpire had to inquire nan crowd aggregate times to quiet down.

The spectators gave Williams and Fernandez a opinionated ovation aft they claimed nan opening tiebreaker contempt trailing 5-2 successful that group – and roseate again to cheer aft nan lucifer ended successful 90 minutes.

“Leylah is simply a bully player, [and] Venus is besides a bully doubles player,” Kichenok said. “They person played doubles galore times. They cognize what it is. Maybe it took a spot of clip to set astatine nan beginning, but past they recovered their rhythm.”

Throughout nan match, location were chants of “Here we go, Venus, present we go!” and a motion successful nan stands read, “Welcome to nan Williams show.”

“Wow,” Williams said successful her on-court interview. “Thank you, you guys. Thank you for showing up for us.”

Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez play successful nan US Open women’s doubles. Photograph: Al Bello/Getty Images

Williams hadn’t won a women’s doubles lucifer successful New York since 2014, erstwhile she and Serena made it to nan quarter-finals, aliases astatine immoderate expansive slam tourney since nan 2018 French Open.

“It’s an area that I’m not that comfortable in, being connected a doubles court, but I deliberation you get to immoderate constituent successful nan lucifer wherever you extremity reasoning astir it,” Williams said. “When push comes to shove, I’ll do what I person to, but I’m a singles player, truthful of people erstwhile I locomotion retired there, I really show myself conscionable to play singles and effort that method. I effort not to beryllium thing that I’m not.”

The older Williams won 7 expansive slam titles successful singles and different 2 successful mixed doubles. She had been disconnected nan circuit for 16 months until returning to action by playing singles and doubles astatine Washington successful July.

“With nan magnitude of matches I’ve played, I’m progressing very quickly,” Williams said. “I didn’t person to travel backmost to play tennis, but yet I recovered my measurement back.”

At Flushing Meadows, Williams mislaid successful nan first information of mixed doubles and singles, past was awarded a chaotic paper for women’s doubles. Fernandez described emotion “like a kid connected Christmas Day” and jumping astir pinch a grin connected her look aft getting nan telephone that Williams wanted to play doubles pinch her.

She was shocked to perceive nan comparison to Serena.

“It’s astir apt nan biggest compliment I’ve ever gotten,” Fernandez said. “I consciousness for illustration those are large shoes to fill.”

Back successful doubles astatine nan US Open for nan first clip since 2022, Williams gets to support going successful New York aft pushing 11th-seeded Karolina Muchova to 3 sets earlier bowing retired of singles play Monday night. Ulrikke Eikeri and Eri Hozumi are up adjacent successful nan 2nd information of doubles.

“I really consciousness great,” Williams said. “With immoderate luck, we’ll stay, possibly triumph different information and conscionable support getting better.”