Venus Williams and Canadian Leylah Fernandez didn’t have enough magic in their rackets to continue their spellbinding US Open run.
Separated by more 22 years of age, the duo fell Tuesday to the top-seeded doubles pairing at this year’s tournament at Flushing Meadows, American Taylor Townsend and Czechia’s Kateřina Siniaková.
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Townsend and Siniaková, winners of the 2025 Australian Open and 2024 Wimbledon, won Tuesday’s US Open quarterfinal in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2.
Williams, 45, and Fernandez, soon to be 23, came into the night having not dropped a single set in the tournament. Playing with a balance of joy and fiery competitiveness, they made their dynamic look seamless, despite that they hadn’t played together before receiving a wild-card entry into this year’s US Open doubles field.
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They rattled off three consecutive wins, including an upset of 12th-seeded duo Zhang Shuai and Ekaterina Alexandrova on Monday in the third round.
Townsend and Siniaková broke Williams and Fernandez in the first game of Tuesday’s quarterfinal match. That set the stage for their 4-0 lead in the opening set, as Williams struggled at the net and Siniaková — one of seven women with a career doubles Golden Slam — flashed her impressive return. In danger of getting blanked in the first frame, Williams responded with a strong service game, making it 4-1. But Townsend quickly countered with her left-handed serve. A double fault from Fernandez, another lefty, opened the door for Townsend and Siniaková to wrap up the first set in seven games.
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During the second game of the second of the second set, Williams and Fernandez forced a deuce. Williams and Fernandez had the advantage twice but couldn’t finish, with Fernandez squandering the second chance with a volley into the net. Townsend and Siniaková capitalized, prying the advantage away. Then a Townsend smash gave them a set and a break lead.
Williams and Fernandez didn’t throw in the towel. They grabbed the fourth game of the second set, however, they couldn’t break Siniaková in what was effectively a do-or-die game. A 15-15 rally — which included an impressive get at the net from Fernandez — ended with Williams’ forehand meeting twine. Williams and Fernandez got another lead-stealing opportunity at 30-30, except Williams’ return was right at Townsend, who didn’t hesitate to put the point away. She finished off the game soon after, and a crowd hoping to see the latest chapter of Williams’ comeback was noticeably quiet.
They had something to cheer for the next game when Williams hit triple digits on her serve. Fernandez finished off the game with a short volley. Trailing 4-2, Williams and Fernandez flirted with another break. But at 30-30, Williams’ return was too long. An ace from Townsend delivered her and Siniaková a 5-2 set advantage.
Townsend was Fernandez’s playing partner during a run to the 2023 French Open final. On Tuesday, however, they were on opposite sides of the hard court at a packed Louis Armstrong Stadium.
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Taking one final game, Townsend and Siniaková advanced to the semifinals, while Williams and Fernandez watched a championship dream slip away. Still, their two-set defeat didn’t put a damper on their storybook run.
A tennis icon, Williams returned to competition in July after a 16-month layoff. At the US Open, the 14-time Grand Slam doubles champion returned to title-contending form.
Fernandez was only Williams’ fourth doubles partner of her career, other than her younger sister Serena, of course.
Fernandez and Williams earned a loud round of applause after the match, with Williams waving to a horde of fans in attendance.
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Townsend and Siniaková gracefully let the moment breathe.
“Growing up watching Venus and Serena,” a 29-year-old Townsend said in her post-match interview, “for me and my sister, it was an inspiration. And we really wanted to be like them when we grew up.
“It was an honor to able to share the court with her today.”