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Williams Sisters Fall in Match Tiebreaker During US Open Return

5 sources across 3 countries · United Kingdom · United States · Argentina

Who reported this

  • The Guardian United Kingdom · Centre-left · Scott Trust Limited
  • BBC News United Kingdom · Centre · Public · Licence fee, royal charter
  • CNN United States · Centre-left · Warner Bros. Discovery
  • Associated Press United States · Centre · Non-profit news cooperative
  • Infobae Argentina · Centre-right · Daniel Hadad

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.

Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.

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Serena and Venus Williams were defeated in the first round of the US Open doubles tournament on Friday night. The sisters lost 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (10-7) to the 14th seeds, Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint. The match took place in a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium, a venue where the siblings have won eight singles titles and two doubles titles together. The sisters fought back from a 4-1 deficit in the third set and held a 5-0 lead in the final match tiebreaker before ultimately losing.

Serena, aged 44, returned to professional tennis this summer after stepping away in 2022. Venus, aged 46, has continued her career through sporadic wildcards. This match marked their first US Open appearance together since 2022. The pair also suffered a match tiebreaker loss earlier this summer at the Cincinnati Open. Serena previously lost to Maya Joint in a singles match at Wimbledon, where she also suffered a knee injury.

Outlets with a center lean focused on the enduring star power of the sisters and the uncertainty of their future in the sport. Center-left sources emphasized the heartbreak of the defeat and noted visible rust in Serena's game, specifically regarding her serve and returns. A center-right source highlighted the spectacle of the event, mentioning the presence of YouTuber MrBeast and the high energy of the New York crowd.

Following the match, the US Open organizers stated that the sisters were not available for media comments. Venus had previously lost in the first round of the singles tournament to Sofia Kenin.

How each side framed it

Centre-left
Focused on the emotional heartbreak of the loss and provided a more critical technical analysis of Serena's performance.
Centre
Framed the event as a celebration of the sisters' enduring legacy and a question of what their future holds.
Centre-right
Emphasized the glitz and spectacle of the event, including the crowd atmosphere and celebrity presence.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.