Serena, Venus Williams Lose In US Open First Round

There will be no farewell grand slam title in doubles for Serena Williams after she and sister Venus lost in the first round of the US Open.

The sisters decided to give it one last whirl four years after their last slam appearance together and six years on from the most recent of their 14 titles.

But the old magic was not quite there and they fell to a 6(5)-7 4-6 loss to the Czech duo of 37-year-old Lucie Hradecka and 17-year-old Linda Noskova.

The match was surely the first opening-round doubles contest ever to begin a night session on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

When it was announced Serena and Venus would be playing doubles, it had appeared this might be the former’s last match.

But her success in singles gave this contest a slightly different complexion.

The competitive desire was very much there, and Serena again looked sharp both from the back of the court and at the net.