Title contenders? Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez storm into US Open quarterfinals

Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez are still in the running at the US Open and have made it to the quarterfinals after defeating the 12th seeds Shuai Zhang and Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-4.

The announcement of the partnership between Williams and Fernandez created a buzz from the start. Just one day before the doubles draw and with Venus Williams already out of the singles competition, it was confirmed that the 45-year-old would make another appearance in women's doubles, this time alongside none other than the 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez.

The expectations were high, especially for the former world No. 1's return to the US Open women's doubles courts—though no one could have predicted the phenomenal campaign she's having with the 22-year-old Canadian.

After taking down the 6th seeds Kichenok/Perez and then the specialists Hozumi/Eikeri, Venus and Leylah have now claimed another victory against a pair of specialists. This time it was Alexandrova and Zhang, whom they defeated in straight sets. The North American duo has yet to drop a set in the tournament so far.

The match quickly went in favor of the North American duo, who got the first break and went up 3-0 in just a few minutes. The team of Alexandrova and Zhang managed to get the break back and even the score. They even had a break point to take the lead at 3-3, but they couldn't convert. Fernandez and Williams then took over the final part of the set. From that break point, they won 11 of the next 12 points and took the set 6-3, winning 80% of their first-serve points against their opponents' 60%.

The second set began with both teams holding their serves, but the pattern was similar to the first: a first break for Fernandez and Williams, who went up 3-1, but Alexandrova and Zhang managed to break back and even the score at 3-3.

The final moments of tension went in favor of the North Americans. With the support of the home crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium, they got a break that put them ahead again. From there, all they had to do was hold their serve, securing an unexpected 6-3, 6-4 victory that sends them to the US Open quarterfinals.

If Fernandez and Williams' participation seemed like a curiosity at first, there's growing conviction that they can keep surprising people. They've secured another win against doubles specialists, another straight-sets victory, and once again, Venus is shining with her high level of play at 45 years old. She's accompanied by a top-notch partner in Leylah Fernandez, who has reached doubles finals at Roland Garros and several WTA 1000 tournaments, in addition to winning four titles in the category.

They are still waiting to find out their opponents for the quarterfinals, but everything points to a possible match against the world No. 1 duo: Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova. While the American is the current No. 1 (and was formerly Fernandez's doubles partner), Siniakova is the best doubles player of the last decade, with 10 Grand Slam doubles titles and the current No. 2 ranking, just behind her partner Townsend.

However, Townsend and Siniakova will first have to get past Yue Yuan and Camila Osorio, two players who don't usually play much doubles.