MASON − The often-overlooked doubles draw at the Cincinnati Open got plenty of attention when it was released on Friday, Aug. 14.
That's because the blockbuster duo of Serena and Venus Williams will team up for the first time since the 2022 U.S. Open in New York.
The Williams sisters have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and will face Cincinnati native Peyton Stearns and partner Marta Kostyuk in the first round at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. Both doubles teams received wild cards to the event.
The doubles draw begins on Sunday, Aug. 16 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, though the order of play for doubles has yet to be announced.
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Stearns, the WTA No. 53, won her first-round singles match in straight sets over qualifier Harriet Dart on Friday. She is scheduled to play No. 27 seed Clara Tauson in the Round of 64 on Center Court to open the night session on Saturday, Aug. 15.
Stearns, who is No. 94 in doubles, reached the Cincinnati Open doubles quarterfinals last year alongside Marketa Vondrousova.
Serena is on the comeback trail as she heads to her first Cincinnati Open appearance 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 a knee injury in her first-round loss to Maya Joint. That setback forced her and Venus to withdraw from Wimbledon doubles. Serena and Venus have never played doubles in Cincinnati.
Venus, 46, lost her first-round Cincinnati Open singles match in straight sets to Emiliana Arango on Friday, Aug. 14.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Williams sisters will face Peyton Stearns in Cincinnati Open doubles