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First set: *Williams/Williams 3-2 Noskova/Hradecka (* Denotes servers)
Venus serves. The Americans jump out to a 30-0 lead and consolidate it with a punishing body serve that is too good for Noskova. A good time for the upcoming teenager, though, as she trades a series of fiery right jabs with Venus, just 25 years her senior. She also wins the point and we are soon down to two. A double fault means a break point for the Czechs, which Venus saves with a good serve that Hradecka floats long. Venus hits another double fault (her serve is a little choppy today) but it ends up being another Williams hold.
First set: Williams/Williams 2-2 Noskova/Hradecka* (* Indicates servers)
Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula are the No. 2 seeds in women’s doubles. OR THEY WERE: They just lost to the Canadian/Australian duo of Leylah Annie Fernandez and Daria Saville. Fernandez, you may recall, reached the singles final last year.
Back on Arthur Ashe, Noskova serves and falls down the court at 30-15. He fell for a few moments, but soon got back on his feet and held the serve.
First set: *Williams/Williams 2-1 Noskova/Hradecka (* Denotes servers)
Serena’s turn to serve. And he continues his form from yesterday as Williams race into a 40-15 lead. But a double fault brings the Czechs back in and we’re soon down to two. But some strong serves from Serena sealed the game for the Americans.
First set: Williams/Williams 1-1 Noskova/Hradecka* (* Indicates servers)
Teen Noskova is a first for the Czechs: youth is not afraid, etc. He sends an ace to make it 30-15, so not a bad decision. Another good serve helps close out the match.
First set: *Williams/Williams 1-0 Nosková/Hradecká (* Denotes servers)
Nosková took a bathroom break before the match began. But you’d also be nervous going up against the Williams sisters. Anyway, Venus serves Noskova first. The experienced Hradecká sends a volley into the net, perhaps she too has nerves, to give the Americans a 15-0 lead. Venus has a few issues with the early ball launch – it’s a calm night and the sun has set so it’s not an issue with the conditions. No matter, they hold up easily enough and are on the board.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands is in the ESPN booth and has played with the Williams sisters in doubles. She says the sisters are hall of fame players for their doubles skills alone. Mattek-Sands also praises Hradecká’s serve, which he rates as one of the best on tour.
And the players are out on the court. First up will be the Czech team of Linda Nosková and Lucie Hradecká to… maybe four victims. I imagine the next couple will have a slightly stronger reception. But first we have an introduction video telling us that the Williamses are pretty good at tennis, all things considered. This is good information to know for the future.
And then they come out: Venus in white and green, and Serena in black. And yes, there is a lot of encouragement. Although I wouldn’t say it’s deafening, perhaps reflecting that this is doubles and the stands are not yet full as the afternoon session crowd slowly trickles in. Maybe they’re still on the road watching the Mets at CitiField (the Mets are beating the Dodgers 5-3 in the 8th, in case you want to know, which you probably don’t).
Updated at 00.11 BST
Williams’ opponents tonight are a mix of youth and experience. Linda Nosková is only 17 years old and this is her first appearance in a Grand Slam doubles event. He currently sits outside the Top 200 in doubles, although that may be due to his inexperience rather than a lack of skill. His partner, however, is a veteran of the circuit. At 37, Lucie Hradecká has been a professional for 18 years and has two Grand Slam doubles titles, including the US Open in 2013. She may be past her prime, but she’s still a top 20 doubles player , so this match will be no transfer for Williams.
We’ve talked a lot about Serena’s likely retirement after the US Open, but is this the last we’ll see of Venus? After all, she is the older sister and has barely played in the last year due to injury. When she lost to Alison van Uytvanck in the first round of the singles here in New York, she was asked about her future and only said: “Right now I’m focused on the doubles.”
Amid Serena’s brilliance, it’s easy to forget how good Venus has been over the years. This was his 91st appearance in a major singles event, a record in the Open era. She also won Wimbledon five times, behind only Martina Navratilova (nine), Serena (seven) and Steffi Graf (seven). Oh, and his record at Flushing Meadows isn’t bad either: he won the singles title twice in the early 2000s and the doubles title twice.
preamble
Venus and Serena Williams are now 40 and 42 respectively, so they are no longer in the prime of their careers, although one of them has just won world No. 2, but in their day they were certainly the ‘most formidable doubles team in history. . So good? Their all-time Grand Slam record as a team is 125-14. In the Olympics he is 15-1, and in the finals of the tournament he is a ridiculous 22-1.
In total they have won 14 Grand Slam titles as doubles partners (to go with their only 30 singles titles). In fact, it’s been a while since they played a Grand Slam together – reaching the third round of the French Open in 2018. Their last Grand Slam doubles title came in 2016 at Wimbledon.
So what are their chances this time? If Serena’s remarkable run in singles continues, it wouldn’t be a surprise if she retires from doubles to conserve energy. But make no mistake, even in their 40s, the sisters are capable of a deep career.