Tennis's most iconic partnership returned to the US Open this week only to fall short in a third-set tiebreaker, with Serena and Venus Williams losing 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(7) to Maya Joint and Chan Hao-ching in a tight women's doubles first round. After so much anticipation around their comeback, the pair proved they could still compete on an entertaining New York evening, but fell just short in a match that had fans on their feet. Meanwhile, the men's draw is shaping up with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advancing to the fourth round after dispatching Wu Yibing 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 and setting up a clash against Tommy Paul, who toppled No. 15 Alexander Bublik in five sets. On the women's side, world No.
1 Aryna Sabalenka and 3-seed Jessica Pegula both cruised into the fourth round. However, Sabalenka's match was marked by a brief halt when she complained about the smell of cannabis, which she found difficult to handle while competing. Alcaraz said he is planning to take more in-season breaks following his return from a four-month absence, suggesting the defending champion feels refreshed enough to manage his schedule more aggressively going forward. The 2026 US Open (WTA) and 2026 US Open (ATP) continue their second and third rounds this week as the draw narrows.