US Open: Venus Williams to play women's doubles with Leylah Fernandez

New York, Aug 27 (IANS) Venus Williams' campaign at the US Open is not over yet as 45-year-old will return to the competition in New York after receiving a women's doubles wild-card entry with Leylah Fernandez.

Venus and Fernandez will take on the sixth-seeded team of Lyudmyla Kichenok of Ukraine and Ellen Perez of Australia.

Venus is appearing at her first Grand Slam tournament in two years after making a comeback following 16 months away from the tour.

Williams has won 14 Grand Slam women's doubles titles alongside sister Serena Williams, most recently at Wimbledon in 2016. She has competed just three times in women's doubles at the majors since then, including her most recent US Open appearance in 2022, during her sister's farewell tournament.

At the 2025 US Open, Williams has already competed in women's singles and mixed doubles (with Reilly Opelka). On Monday night, she treated Arthur Ashe Stadium to a spellbinding second set but ultimately fell to 11th seed Karolina Muchova, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1.

Williams was the oldest player to compete in the women's singles here since Renee Richards in 1981 and the third oldest of the Open Era.

Fernandez, 22, is seeded 31st in the women's singles in New York and beat compatriot Rebecca Marino 6-2 6-1 in the first round.

She reached the singles final in 2021, where she finished runner-up to Britain's Emma Raducanu.

Williams and Fernandez are among seven wild-card teams in the women's doubles draw, joining Hailey Baptiste and Whitney Osuigwe, Reese Brantmeier and Alanis Hamilton, Carmen Corley and Ivana Corley, Kristina Penickova and Thea Frodin, Clervie Ngounoue and Iva Jovic, and Julieta Pareja and Akasha Urhobo.

The 2025 US Open women's doubles competition begins Thursday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

--IANS

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