Venus wins a US Open Women’s Doubles competition for the first time since 2014 – without Serena

Venus Williams insists that she is not a good double player. The 14 major championships that she and Serena Williams have won together tell a different story.

Without her younger sister by her side, Venus showed Thursday (August 28, 2025) that she still has it. Venus won a women’s doubles competition at the US Open for the first time in more than a decade and worked with Leylah Fernandez to beat the sixth placed few Lyudmyla Kichenok and Ellen Perez 7-6 (4), 6-3.

When it was over, 45-year-old Venus did her characteristic Twirl-and-Wave and Fernandez called “the best partner with whom I ever played Buiten Serena.” The 22-year-old Canadian even reminded Venus of Serena.

“Our energy really corresponded to each other in terms of determination, in terms of not giving up, in terms of really still only focused and tired in everything,” said Venus. “That felt great because I never really played with a partner – outside of Serena, of course – who had that kind of mentality, so it was really fun.”

Venus and Fernandez, the 2021 singles second at Flushing Meadows, were tough fan favorites in an almost full of Louis Armstrong Stadium, and the chair referee had to ask the crowd several times to calm down.

The spectators gave Venus and Fernandez a standing ovation after they had demanded the opening breaker, despite finding out 5-2 in those sets and got up again after the game ended in 90 minutes.

“Leylah is a good player, (s) Venus is also a good double player,” said Kichenok. “They have played double many times. They know what it is. Maybe it needed a little time to adjust in the beginning, but then they found their rhythm.”

During the competition there were songs of “here we go, venus, here we go!” And a sign in the stands was: “Welcome to the Williams Show.”

“Wow,” said Venus in her interview on the field. ‘Thank you, guys. Thank you for showing up for us. ‘

Venus had not won a ladies’ doubles game in New York since 2014, when she and Serena reached the quarterfinals, or at a Grand Slam tournament since the French Open 2018.

“It is an area that I am not so comfortable in, on a double court, but I think you will come to a certain point in the competition that you don’t think about,” said Venus. “If Push comes to push, I will do what I have to do, but I am a singles player, so when I walk there, I actually tell myself to myself to play singles and try that method. I don’t try to be something I am not.” The older Venus won seven Grand Slam titles in singles and another two in mixed doubles. She had been from the tour for 16 months until she returned to action by playing singles and double in July in Washington.

“With the amount of matches I played, I am going very quickly,” said Venus. “I didn’t have to come back to play tennis, but in the end I found my way back.”

At Flushing Meadows, Venus lost in the first round of mixed Doubles and Singles and then received a wildcard for women’s dubbles. Fernandez described feeling “like a child on Christmas Day” and jumped around with a smile on her face after he had received the call that Venus wanted to play double with her.

She was shocked to hear the comparison with Serena.

“It is probably the biggest compliment I have ever received,” said Fernandez. “I feel that they are big shoes to fill.”

Back in Dubbels at the US Open for the first time since 2022, Venus continues in New York after pushing the 11th placed Karolina Muchova to three sets before he plays from Singles that bends Monday (August 25, 2025) at night. Ulrikke Eikeri and Eri Hozumi are the next in the second double round.

“I actually feel great,” said Venus. “With a little luck, we will stay, maybe win a new round and just get better and better.”