NEW YORK (AP) — Venus Williams' first Grand Slam tournament in two years ended on Tuesday when she and Leylah Fernandez lost in the U.S. Open women's doubles quarterfinals to the top-seeded duo of Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova 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 Siniakova, then hug Townsend. Thousands of spectators rose to give Williams a standing ovation; Townsend and Siniakova 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."
Siniakova 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 Karolina Muchova 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 had been the 2023 U.S. Open.
"What I'm proudest of is it's not easy to come off the bench. It really isn't, and I have never had a layoff that long. It brought new challenges that I wasn't ready for in so many ways. So I'm very proud that I ... stayed myself. I didn't try to play another game. I didn't try to play it safe. I went for it, and that's who I am. I go for it. When you go for it, good things happen," Williams said. "Perhaps I didn't get there this time, but I know who I am, and I know that I can work once I have a little chance."
She said she wasn't sure of future plans but made it sound as if she plans to play again.
"Seeing Venus playing on court for joy just kind of brought me back as to why I started playing tennis," said Fernandez, a 22-year-old from Canada who was the 2021 singles runner-up in New York.
Williams and Fernandez 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.
Townsend, who currently is ranked No. 1 in doubles, and Siniakova are an experienced duo who won Wimbledon in 2024 and the Australian Open this year together. Siniakova has won a total of 10 Grand Slam titles in women's doubles.
Williams, of course, is the owner of 14 Grand Slam titles in women's doubles alongside Serena, who left the professional tour in 2022.
The older Williams sibling also has 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.
Townsend's time in Flushing Meadows continues in women's doubles after she failed to convert eight match points and got knocked out of singles in the fourth round by Barbora Krejcikova.
"It was a tough match, but ultimately, I left everything out on the court. That was the only thing that me and the team could ask for," Townsend said. "I really feel like matches like that are defining moments and opportunities. You can either go up or go down."
Townsend also was in the spotlight for a tense postmatch exchange of words with Jelena Ostapenko after a singles match.
In the doubles semifinals, Townsend and Siniakova will meet the No. 4 seeds, Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens. The other semifinal matchup is No. 2 Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini against No. 3 Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe.
Kudermetova and Mertens won Wimbledon last month. Errani and Paolini won the French Open in June.
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