MASON − In his pre-tournament media availability, Cincinnati Open Tournament Director Bob Moran was asked about the event's goal for ticket sales. "It's really helpful when you announce Novak (Djokovic) and Serena Williams on back-to-back days," Moran laughed. "Ticket sales are going really well." Yes, this year's Cincinnati Open is highlighted by the old guard of tennis with Djokovic and the Williams sisters bringing their combined 86 Grand Slam titles to the Lindner Family Tennis Center. More: Why you might see a Serena Williams GLP-1 ad fly over Cincinnati Open Replay: ATP, WTA 2nd round results at the 2026 Cincinnati Open More: Peyton Stearns, Caty McNally fall in 2nd round of Cincinnati Open singles It helps soften the blow of the ATP's top two players − Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz − withdrawing this year after meeting in the men's final in 2025, though Djokovic was upset in the Round of 64 by Thiago Agustin Tirante. Local tennis fans are plenty familiar with Djokovic, whose last Cincinnati appearance (2023) ended in a Rookwood Cup after beating Alcaraz in the longest match (3 hours, 49 minutes) in the event's history. They've also seen Serena win back-to-back (2014-15) titles in this tournament and Venus has been here in three of the last four years.
However, Mason patrons might not appreciate just how rare it is to see Serena and Venus share the same side of the court. While the Cincinnati Open is a WTA1000 event, it's still one notch below a Grand Slam, which is where the Williams tandem is typically on display. New York City (US Open), Paris (French Open), Asheville (Fed Cup), Rio De Janeiro (Olympics), Great Britain (Wimbledon), Rome (Italian Open). Those are the cities where the Williams sisters have played doubles together over the last decade. On Monday, Aug. 17, you'll be able to add Mason, Ohio to that list after the duo received a Cincinnati Open wild card. They'll face Cincinnati native Peyton Stearns and partner Marta Kostyuk to begin the night session on Grandstand. It will mark the sisters' first WTA appearance together below a Grand Slam in 10 years. The Cincinnati Open will be just the sixth WTA1000 or lower featuring the Williams in doubles: 2016 Italian Open (WTA1000), 2014 Dubai Tennis Championships (WTA500), 2013 China Open (WTA1000), 2010 Madrid Open (WTA1000), 2009 Bank of West Classic (WTA500). Serena is on the comeback trail as she heads to her first Cincinnati Open since 2022. The 44-year-old came out retirement earlier this summer and played doubles in the HSBC Championships in London with partner Victoria Mboko and in the VANDA Pharmaceuticals Berlin Open alongside Karolina Muchova. At Wimbledon, Serena suffered after a knee injury in her first-round loss to Maya Joint. That setback forced her and Venus to withdraw from Wimbledon doubles, meaning their Cincinnati Open foray will be their first match together since the 2022 US Open. Venus, 46, has lost 14 consecutive matches after her first-round loss in straight sets (6-2, 6-2) to Emiliana Arango on Friday, Aug. 14. Coincidentally, her last win was over Stearns in the DC Open's Round of 32 in July 2025, when she became the oldest woman in 21 years to win at WTA tour singles match. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Just how rare is Cincinnati Open doubles for Serena-Venus Williams?