Serena Williams and Venus Williams vs. Maya Joint and Hao-ching Chan — US Open 2026 Doubles
Maya Joint has already spent much of 2026 proving that famous names do not particularly bother her.
She did it again on Friday night.
The 20-year-old Australian and Taiwan’s Hao-ching Chan recovered from 5-0 down in the deciding 10-point tiebreak to beat Serena and Venus Williams 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(10-7) in front of a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It would have been easy for Joint and Chan to become supporting actors.
The crowd had come heavily invested in the Williams sisters, the occasion had inevitably become part tennis match and part New York event, and at 5-0 in the match tiebreak the expected ending appeared to be taking shape.
Joint and Chan declined to follow the script.
They won 10 of the final 12 points.
Joint and Chan Refuse to Become Part of the Ceremony
There was no disguising where much of Arthur Ashe’s affection lay.
Serena and Venus Williams were back together at the US Open, where they had previously won two of their 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, and the stadium responded accordingly.
The sisters had not played doubles at Flushing Meadows since losing in the first round in 2022. Serena subsequently stepped away from professional tennis and later gave birth to her second daughter, Adira.
Her return to doubles this year came after encouragement from her older daughter Olympia, who told her she needed to play again with “Auntie VeVe”.
That gave Friday’s match an obvious sentimental element.
Joint and Chan still had a match to win.
And for much of the opening set, they were simply the better pair.
They took it 6-3, keeping the Williams sisters from settling fully into the contest and making better use of the early exchanges.
The Williams Sisters Improve, but Joint Stays With Them
The level changed in the second set.
Serena became more assertive around the net, while Venus began producing more consistently from the baseline. Several service games became difficult, but the sisters repeatedly escaped them.
The set eventually reached a tiebreak.
There, the match produced some of its best tennis.
The Williams sisters needed four set points before finally converting, taking the breaker 8-6 and sending the match into a deciding 10-point tiebreak.
Arthur Ashe rose with them.
For Joint, the situation was familiar in one sense.
Earlier this year she had already faced Serena on a major stage, beating her in the opening round at Wimbledon.
Friday was different.
Now there were two Williams sisters across the net, and nearly everyone inside the stadium appeared to be hoping for one more comeback.
From 0-5 Down, Joint and Chan Turn the Match
For five points, the ending looked obvious.
Serena and Venus raced to 5-0 in the deciding tiebreak.
The stadium responded as if the difficult part had already been completed.
It had not.
The errors began to arrive from the American side, while Joint and Chan stopped giving ground.
Point by point, the lead disappeared.
Five-love became a contest again.
Then it became a problem for the Williams sisters.
Joint and Chan eventually reached match point and completed the turnaround 10-7.
From 0-5, they had won 10 of the final 12 points.
That was not an insignificant late wobble from their opponents.
It was the entire match turning around.
Match at a Glance
- Chan & Joint saved 80% of break points faced (8 of 10), while Serena & Venus Williams managed 70% (7 of 10).
- Chan & Joint committed far fewer double faults, 3 to Venus and Serena’s 10.
- Chan & Joint won 128 of 250 total points, hitting more winners overall, 15 to 20 for the Williams sisters — WIW actually led in winners despite the loss.
Full Match Stats
| Serena Williams / Venus Wiliams | Statistic | Hao-ching Chan / Maya Joint |
|---|---|---|
| Match Duration: 3h02m | ||
| 0.94 | Dominance Ratio | 1.06 |
| 20 | Winners | 15 |
| 31 | Unforced Errors | 21 |
| 247 | Serve Rating | 272 |
| 2 | Aces | 2 |
| 10 | Double Faults | 3 |
| 54% (67/124) | 1st Serve % | 63% (79/126) |
| 69% (46/67) | 1st Serve Points Won | 67% (53/79) |
| 51% (29/57) | 2nd Serve Points Won | 55% (26/47) |
| 70% (7/10) | Break Points Saved | 80% (8/10) |
| 110 | Return Rating | 129 |
| 33% (26/79) | 1st Return Points Won | 31% (21/67) |
| 45% (21/47) | 2nd Return Points Won | 49% (28/57) |
| 2/10 | Break Points Won | 3/10 |
| 122 | Total Points Won | 128 |
Joint Keeps the Occasion From Swallowing the Match
Joint’s part in the result could easily have disappeared beneath the Williams storyline.
The crowd had come heavily invested in Serena and Venus, and Arthur Ashe responded accordingly. Between points it was loud and unmistakably partisan, but during rallies the audience was generally disciplined enough to let the tennis breathe.
Joint later described the atmosphere as “surreal” and playing the Williams sisters as “super special”. She had grown up watching them, and neither she nor Chan had experienced anything quite like the setting.
That admiration did not turn into submission.
The Williams sisters were competitive enough to force a deciding tiebreak and race to 5-0, so this was not merely a ceremonial appearance dressed up as a contest. They came within five points of winning.
Joint and Chan still found a way past them.
For Joint in particular, that adds another unusual chapter to an already striking season. She had beaten Serena at Wimbledon earlier in the year; now, with Chan beside her, she had survived both sisters under the lights in New York.
The Williams name supplied much of the occasion.
Joint and Chan supplied the finish.