NEW YORK – Venus Williams and Leila Fernandez reached the women’s doubles in the third round at the US Open, beating Ulricke Eikeri and Eli Hosmi 7-6 (1), 6-1 on Saturday.
Williams and Fernandez were late early, as they did in the first round before finding rally and rhythm. The 45-year-old American – a 14-time Grand Slam women’s doubles champion with sister Serena – and the 22-year-old Canadian never played together until he received a wildcard entry to the field this week.
“There are some secrets,” Williams said. “I was telling her a few things, but yeah, I think we forgot we got off. We were focused on winning matches. The score doesn’t matter. The key is that you keep putting it in and getting points.
Williams was the first time since the French Open in 2018 that she had reached the third round of the women’s doubles major since she partnered with Serena.
Elder Williams sisters did the smash wave of her signature again in front of the fierce crowd of Flushing Meadows. During the match, she encouraged the fans to stand up.
“I’ve never actually done that,” Williams said. “But we were down, so we wanted the energy you guys were bringing. We needed it.”
Williams had finished the tour for 16 months before returning to action by playing singles and doubles at the City DC Open in Washington in July.
In singles at the US Open, she pushed 11th seed Karolina Mciba into three sets in the first round on Monday and bowed.
Fernandez, who reached the singles final at the US Open in 2021, was called Williams and kept her motivated.
“It was so much fun,” Fernandez said. “I love Venus. She kept asking how I felt during the changeover. I said, “I feel good, I’m excited.”
ESPN research and Associated Press contributed to this report.
