The Williams sisters are back, as Serena and Venus kick off their 2026 Cincinnati Open doubles run against local favorite Peyton Stearns and world No. 11 Marta Kostyuk.
Tonight’s reunion marks Serena’s first Cincinnati appearance since 2022. It furthers her recently launched comeback trail, after teaming up with No. 17 Victoria Mboko at Queen’s Club and joining No. 7 Karolína Muchová in Berlin.
The match is also the sisters’ first pairing since the 2022 US Open, after a knee injury suffered in her first-round Wimbledon loss to Maya Joint saw Serena withdraw from July’s doubles competition in London.
The doubles draw is stacked with star power, splitting up 2025 Miami Open champs Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider while putting Barbora Krejčíková on a collision course with ex-teammate Kateřina Siniaková.
The younger Williams skipped the WTA 1000 tournament’s singles path, while Venus fell to Spain’s Emiliana Arango in her first-round match.
“I’m back in Cincinnati. Don’t ask me why or how, but I love this place,” Serena said on Cincinnati Open social media. “When I decided to play a few tournaments, I said, ’You know what, Cincinnati Open is one place I would never miss.’”
The sisters open their 2026 Cincinnati Open doubles run tonight at 7 PM ET (Tennis Channel).
