Top News

0

Tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams have been handed a wildcard for the women’s doubles competition at the 2026 Cincinnati Open, setting up their first tournament together since the 2022 US Open. The WTA 1000 event will take place in Ohio from August 11 to 23.

The sisters had hoped to reunite at Wimbledon 2026, but those plans ended when Serena, 44, withdrew from the doubles event after suffering a right knee injury following her opening-round singles loss, according to Olympics.com.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest doubles pairings in tennis history, Serena and Venus have claimed 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals, including their triumph at the London 2012 Olympics.

In addition to the doubles wildcard, Venus, 46, has also secured a wildcard entry into the singles draw as the iconic siblings continue their comeback on the WTA Tour.

Earlier, Serena Williams announced that she will be withdrawing from her much-anticipated Wimbledon doubles competition return with her sister Venus Williams due to knee issues.

The official Instagram handle of Wimbledon made the announcement. Serena suffered a defeat to Maya Joint in her much-anticipated Wimbledon singles return after a four-year absence, following an epic Centre Court battle.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion, who recently announced her comeback at the age of 44, showed moments of brilliance against the 20-year-old Australian and saved a match point in the second set to force a decider. However, she eventually ran out of steam, going down 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3.

The Cincinnati Open is one of the premier events on the professional tennis calendar and serves as a key warm-up tournament ahead of the US Open. Held annually at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, it features both an ATP Masters 1000 and a WTA 1000 event on outdoor hard courts.

Founded in 1899, it is the oldest U.S. tennis tournament still played in its original city. Following a major expansion, the tournament now features 96-player singles draws and 32-team doubles draws, attracting the world’s top players. The 2026 edition runs from August 13 to 23, with qualifying beginning on August 11.