Venus Williams Says Goodbye to the US Open in Doubles Quarterfinals
The legendary American tennis player Venus Williams, in her return to a Grand Slam tournament after two years, saw her participation in the US Open end on Tuesday in the women’s doubles quarterfinals. Williams and her partner, Leylah Fernandez, fell to the number one pair in the world, Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova, with a score of 6-1, 6-2. The match, which lasted 56 minutes at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, ended with an emotional gesture from Williams, who smiled and approached the net to greet Siniakova and embrace Townsend. The audience present, in a sign of respect and admiration, gave a standing ovation to the iconic tennis player. Townsend and Siniakova joined in the applause, acknowledging Williams’ career.Siniakova also praised Williams, calling her “a legend” and expressing that it was “a privilege” to play against her. At 45 years old, Williams had already been eliminated in the first round of singles, falling to Karolina Muchova in three sets, and also in mixed doubles. Her return to competition came in July, in a tournament in Washington, after 16 months of absence. Her most recent participation in a Grand Slam tournament had been at the 2023 US Open.“I grew up watching Venus and Serena, and for me and my sister, they were an inspiration. It was an honor to share the court today,” declared Townsend.
Taylor Townsend
The American tennis player, although she did not reveal concrete plans for the future, hinted at her intention to continue competing. Fernandez, a 22-year-old Canadian, who was the individual runner-up in New York in 2021, shared her admiration for Williams, stating that watching her play reminded her why she started playing tennis. Williams and Fernandez, who received a special invitation from the United States Tennis Association, had performed outstandingly in the tournament, without losing any set in their first three matches. Townsend and Siniakova, a well-established pair, have extensive experience on the circuit. They won Wimbledon in 2024 and the Australian Open this year. Siniakova also has a total of 10 Grand Slam titles in women’s doubles. Williams, for her part, holds 14 Grand Slam titles in women’s doubles, obtained alongside her sister Serena, who retired from professional tennis in 2022. In addition, the 45-year-old tennis player has won seven singles championships and two in mixed doubles.“What I’m most proud of is that it’s not easy to come back after being out of the game. It really isn’t, and I’ve never had such a long break. It brought me new challenges that I wasn’t prepared for in many ways. So I’m very proud to have… continued to be 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 expressed. “Maybe I didn’t make it this time, but I know who I am and I know I can work once I have a small chance.”
Venus Williams
Townsend also starred in a tense exchange of words with Jelena Ostapenko after a singles match. In the doubles semifinals, Townsend and Siniakova will face the fourth seeds, Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens. The other semifinal will pit Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini against Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe. Kudermetova and Mertens won Wimbledon last month. Errani and Paolini won the French Open in June.“It was a tough match, but in the end, I gave it my all on the court. That was the only thing my team and I could ask for,” commented Townsend. “I really feel that matches like that are decisive moments and opportunities. You can go up or down.”
Taylor Townsend
