(New York) Serena Williams, who announced her upcoming retirement, and her older sister Venus were eliminated on the 1er round of the women’s doubles tournament at the United States Open on Thursday, beaten 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 by the Czech pair Lucie Hradecka / Linda Nsokova.
Posted at 9:37 p.m.
Updated at 9:59 p.m.
After their defeat, the two Americans aged 40 and 42 respectively left without saying a word the huge Ashe court, still filled with some 23,800 spectators, like Monday and Wednesday during Serena’s singles victories.
For their reunion in New York eight years later, the Williams sisters have not really found their automatisms, which had made them such a formidable duo with 14 Grand Slam titles at stake between 1999 and 2016, including two at Flushing Meadows.
Facing a pair made up of the experienced Hradecka, 37 (who won Roland-Garros 2011 and the 2013 United States Open with another Czech, Andrea Hlavackova), and the neophyte Nsokova, only 17, who played there her very first official match, Serena and Venus were however close to winning the first round.
But they failed to convert their two set points at 5-4 on opposing service. And they gave in to the decisive game on the first opportunity seized by the Czechs.
The latter escaped in the second set (4-1), before the Williams, in a vain last stand, managed to unbreak. To better then lose their commitment and bow.
Considering Serena’s announcement in early August of an impending retirement, this doubles match was likely her very last with Venus.
The youngest of the Williams sisters, who did not specify when or where she will bow out, remains however still in the race in the singles at Flushing Meadows.
She will try Friday, against the Australian Ajla Tomljanovic, to qualify for the 8e final of the New York Major which could nevertheless be his last tournament.
With a crazy goal still possible to achieve to land a 24e Major title after which she has been chasing for more than five years, which would equal Margaret Court’s record.