Serena and Venus, aged 44 and 46, lost 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(10-7) to 14th seeds Hao-Ching Chan of Taiwan and Maya Joint of Australia in a match lasting more than three hours.

It was their first Grand Slam doubles appearance together since 2022 and Serena's first Grand Slam appearance since stepping away from professional tennis.

The Williams sisters dropped the opening set but responded by winning the second-set tiebreak to level the match.

They showed flashes of the brilliance that helped them win 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, with their powerful groundstrokes, volleys and net play regularly troubling their opponents.

They then recovered from 4-1 down in the deciding set to force a 10-point match tiebreak. The sisters took a 5-0 lead but Chan and Joint fought back to win 10-7.

The defeat ends the Williams sisters' latest doubles campaign. They have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together, including two US Open titles.

The sisters did not speak to the media after the match, with the USTA confirming they would not be available for comment.

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