"I didn't come out here to win this tournament" - Williams' sisters shake off 'rust' as doubles return ends in dramatic fashion

For the first time since the 2022 US Open, both Serena and Venus Williams stepped onto the court together in the women's doubles. Their Cincinnati Open ambitions looked promising from the off, but were inevitably halted by Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns who held off a promising comeback to win 6-2, 1-6, 10-8.

The Williams sisters enjoyed so much success in their pomp that they are widely recognised as one of the best and most iconic doubles teams. They had won an incredible 14 women's doubles Grand Slam titles from 14 finals, a stunning stat to boast, while their success in their singles career was closely scrutinised and lauded.

As they got older, retirement loomed but apparently that has not stopped them from wanting to compete on the big stage. Just over a year ago at the DC Open, Venus returned with a bang. She has picked out specific tournaments to compete in since, with mixed success, regularly getting wildcards and a ton of support.

This also motivated Serena to make a highly anticipated return. The 23-time Grand Slam champion appeared at Queen's Club Championships in the doubles alongside Victoria Mboko, but it was wrecked due to the Canadian's unfortunate injury. Her singles comeback was on Centre Court at Wimbledon against Maya Joint, putting on a show before losing in three sets.

SW19 was supposed to be the venue where the Williams sisters would compete alongside each other in the women's doubles, but a knee injury struck Serena. They waited as long as they could, but in the end opted to pull out. There was no such trouble at the Cincinnati Open where they would once more become the centre of attention as their doubles return ended with a defeat.

After losing the first set 6-2, there was a risk of the duo getting completely routed. Kostyuk and Sterns had won five consecutive games to go 5-1 to the good before comfortably seeing it out. Nevertheless, the Williams sisters clicked and rolled back the years with a dominant second set showing. 28 minutes later, the teams were level pegging.

The tiebreak started as a one-sided affair with Kostyuk and Stearns leading 8-2 at one point. That gap was abolished with the Williams sisters closing in. However, the best they could do was 8-7 before a first match point was created. That was saved, but a second one straight after was not and the Williams' venture in Cincinnati comes to an end.

"We've waited a long time to get back on the doubles court. Eventually, we find our way to each other," Venus said after the match. "We give each other so much grace and encouragement. This is our first time playing together in forever, and I think we're really getting [into] our stride."

Once the rust Serena had described was shaken off, they were much more competitive and that was for show in the second set. She thoroughly enjoyed the experience and was grateful to still be playing the sport she loves.

"I thought it was fun," Serena stated. "I thought it was special. We kicked off a little rust in the middle of the match and just, you know [were] starting to feel it. "I didn't come out here to win this tournament. Winning is obviously great. But in this position just, you know, having fun. It was really cool to be able to do this again."

Excitement is now brewing ahead of what could be a famous US Open return. With singles, doubles and mixed doubles action all involving the Williams sisters one way or another, this spectacle should engross a high spectator count and be a vastly watched scene with the Grand Slam kicking off from August 30.