US Open 2022: Proceedings at the US Open 2022 today have brought along a cloud of dismay for the Williams sisters and the fans of Lawn Tennis. Williams sisters, who are 14-time Grand Slam doubles champions made their exit from the US Open earlier today. They competed with every ounce of their seat but finally went down against Czech duo Linda Noskova and Lucie Hradecka in straight sets on September 1, 2022, Thursday. The legendary duo suffered this crushing defeat by a margin of 6(5)-7, 4-6 at the hands of the Czech pair at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
This is the first instance after 2018, that the Williams sister participated in the women's doubles format of the Flushing Meadows. The legendary duo has earlier won the US Open in 1999 and 2009 and had received a wild card entry in New York. This was a historic moment for the Williams sisters as they played together for the first time at Arthur Ashe Stadium. For some reason, the old veterans of the game looked pretty nervous at the start of the match and they made it pretty evident with Venus having problems with her ball toss.
Banking upon their experience, Venus earned an early lead but it was the fighting spirit of the Czechs that left the Williams sisters clueless for some time. Serena Williams who is in some kind of form in the ongoing US Open 2022 earned two valuable service points but to her disarray, Hradecka returned a powerful blow toward the Williams sisters to clinch the first set of the match. Matters got even worse for the Williams sisters who looked completely drained and timid in the second set and as a result, the Czech duo registered a lead of 3-0.
The Czechs in a brilliant display outplayed the legends of the game amidst a noisy US Open crowd. Serena and Venus who have 14 major double titles also have three Olympic gold medals in doubles (2000, 2008, 2012). Their last defeat as a pair came in the third round of the 2018 French Open.