Venus Williams’ US Open run ends in doubles quarter-finals

Venus Williams’ hopes of extending her US Open campaign came to an end on Tuesday as she and Canadian partner Leylah Fernandez were beaten in the women’s doubles quarter-finals, Sport360NG reports.

The wildcard pairing had impressed on their way to the last eight, knocking out two seeded teams without dropping a set. But against top seeds Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova, their challenge was quickly subdued. The American-Czech duo, already two-time Grand Slam champions together, powered to a commanding 6-1 6-2 victory in under an hour.

Williams, 45, who bowed out of the singles draw in the opening round, left Louis Armstrong Stadium to a warm ovation, smiling as fans saluted her enduring career. Townsend and Siniakova were quick to pay their respects, with both hailing the seven-time major winner as a “legend” and an “inspiration.”

“Growing up watching Venus and Serena, my sister and I wanted to be like them,” Townsend said. “It was an honour to share the court with her.” Siniakova echoed the sentiment, describing it as “a privilege” to face Williams.

The atmosphere was notably different for Townsend, who had been the crowd favourite in her singles defeat to Barbora Krejcikova earlier in the week. This time, the stands rallied behind Williams, a four-time US Open champion across singles and doubles.

Despite the support, the match was largely one-sided. Townsend and Siniakova stormed into a 3-0 lead after winning 12 of the first 13 points, conceding little on serve throughout. Williams briefly lifted the crowd with a trademark forehand winner and solid service holds, but the top seeds’ relentless accuracy, 12 winners against just two unforced errors, kept control of proceedings.

For Williams, the defeat closes her deepest Grand Slam run since reaching the US Open singles semi-finals in 2017, and her first doubles quarter-final appearance since lifting the Wimbledon crown in 2016.

Townsend and Siniakova, who remain unbeaten in sets at this year’s tournament, will face fourth seeds Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens for a spot in the final.

Elsewhere, British duo Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski advanced to the third round of the men’s doubles after edging Monaco’s Hugo Nys and France’s Edouard Roger-Vasselin 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-4. But Marcus Willis fell short alongside Poland’s Karol Drzewiecki, losing 4-6 6-3 6-1 to Czech pair Tomas Machac and Matej Vocel.