For the second time in three matches, members of Gen X and Gen Z teamed as much as upset a ranked ladies’s doubles duo on the U.S. Open.
Venus Williams, 45, and her 22-year-old taking part in companion, Canadian Leylah Fernandez, knocked off the No. 12-seeded tandem of Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova and China’s Shuai Zhang, 6-3, 6-4, to achieve the quarterfinals of the yr’s last Grand Slam occasion.
Their prize for profitable: a date with the top-seeded staff of Taylor Townsend and the Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova. That duo dispatched of Columbia’s Camila Osorio and China’s Yue Yuan, 6-2, 6-2, establishing Wednesday’s marquee match-up.
Williams and Fernandez got here collectively on the outset of the event and earned a wild-card entry. They opened Thursday with a 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory over the sixth-seeded staff of Lyudmyla Kichenok of Ukraine and Ellen Perez of Australia, then defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Japan’s Eri Hozumi, 7-6 (1), 6-1 on Saturday.
The duo was opportunistic on Monday, changing 4 of 5 break level possibilities.
After breaking serve within the second recreation of the match, Williams-Fernandez jumped out to a 3-0 lead, however gave the break again within the fifth recreation and located the set all sq. at 3-3.
However they fended off a break level on their subsequent service recreation and received 10 of the final 11 factors to take the primary set.
The identical situation performed out after six video games of the second set and the tip end result was comparable. Receiving serve at 3-3, the American and Canadian rallied from 40-15 down to interrupt serve and received 12 of the following 15 factors to shut out the match.
Sep 1, 2025; Flushing, NY, USA; Venus Williams (USA) and Leylah Fernandez (CAN) rejoice after their match in opposition to Ekaterina Alexandrova and Shuai Zhang (CHN) (each not pictured) on day 9 of the 2025 US Open tennis championships at Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Middle. Photograph: Geoff Burke-Imagn Photographs
Fernandez has described Williams’ method to sit-downs as largely inspirational.
“There’s not a number of technique speak,” Fernandez mentioned within the post-match on-court interview. “I’ve full confidence in Venus, and I hope she has full confidence in me.”
As for Venus, who’s giving her pointers? The reply is fairly apparent: her well-known sister Serena.
“Actually, she’s so pleased for Leylah and I, and she or he’s giving us recommendation,” Venus Williams mentioned throughout her on-court interview. “We simply want her within the field. So my message is: Serena, it is advisable present up.”
Venus and Serena Williams received 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, together with a pair (1999, 2009) on the U.S. Open.
—Area Degree Media/Reuters
