Williams Sisters Earn Cincinnati Wildcard for Women's Doubles

Williams Twins Earn Cincinnati Wildcard for Doubles

Serena and Venus Williams have been handed a wildcard entry into the women's doubles draw at the Cincinnati Open, awarded on Monday. The sisters, who combined to win 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together during the 2000s and early 2010s, will bypass qualifying and enter the main draw directly.

Cincinnati is the final WTA 1000 warm-up before the US Open, which begins on 31 August in New York. The sisters have not announced plans beyond this event. The wildcard gives them a controlled environment to test coordination, sharpen match fitness, and recalibrate timing ahead of a possible US Open doubles run.

Serena, now 44, returned to action at Wimbledon earlier this year before an injury sidelined her. Venus, 43, has maintained a steadier tour presence but has not been a regular doubles competitor. Neither had prioritized doubles since their last doubles appearance at the 2022 US Open, a detail that updates the record from the 2019 quarter-final mention in earlier coverage. The tour has shifted to a younger generation of specialists in the interim.

The wildcard is not an attempt to chase a doubles title. It signals that both remain physically capable of tournament-level doubles play at 43 and 44. Their entry raises the draw's profile well beyond ranking points. The Western & Southern Open sits on the hard-court swing into Flushing Meadows. The women's doubles field mixes top-20 teams, veteran returnees, and wildcards.

The Williams sisters have also captured three Olympic gold medals in doubles competition, adding to a record that includes six major doubles titles at Wimbledon.

Updated: 3 August 2026 - Added that the pair last played doubles at the 2022 US Open, Serena's Wimbledon return and injury, the US Open start date of 31 August, and their three Olympic gold medals.