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Venus Williams has turned back the clock in Queens, but her Cinderella run at this year’s U.S. Open has ended.
The 45-year-old partnered with Leylah Fernandez for the doubles bracket and made it all the way to the quarterfinals before the top-seeded duo of Taylor Townsend and Kateřina Siniaková took them down 6-1, 6-2.
When the match finished after 56 minutes in Louis Armstrong Stadium, Williams smiled as she walked to the net to shake hands with Siniaková, then hugged Townsend. Thousands of spectators rose to give Williams a standing ovation; Townsend and Siniaková then joined in, applauding for Williams.
“Growing up watching Venus and [her sister] Serena, for me and my sister, it was an inspiration,” Townsend told the crowd. “It was an honor to share the court today.”
Siniaková called Williams “a legend” and said it was “a privilege” to play against her.
The 45-year-old Williams earlier exited in the first round of both singles – bowing out against Karolína Muchová in three sets – and mixed doubles. She was out of competition for 16 months until returning to play at a tournament in Washington in July. Her most recent major tournament was the 2023 US Open.
Williams and Fernandez, a 22-year-old from Canada who was the 2021 singles runner-up in New York, received a wild-card entry from the U.S. Tennis Association and had not lost a set in their first three matches of their debut as a team.
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Townsend, who is currently ranked No. 1 in doubles, and Siniaková are an experienced duo who won Wimbledon in 2024 and the Australian Open this year together. Siniaková has won a total of 10 Grand Slam titles in women’s doubles.
Townsend found herself in a controversy in the singles bracket when Jelena Ostapenko said she was upset Townsend didn’t apologize after being helped by a net cord during a point. She also took issue with Townsend warming up before the match at the net, instead of at the baseline. After their match, the two got into a heated discussion.
Williams, of course, is the owner of 14 Grand Slam titles in women’s doubles alongside her sister, Serena, who left the professional tour in 2022.
The older Williams sibling has also won seven major singles championships and another two in mixed doubles.
She was the oldest player in the singles draw at the U.S. Open since 1981.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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