The surprise U.S. Open doubles run of 45-year-old Venus Williams and 22-year-old Leylah Fernandez ended Tuesday after a 6-1, 6-2 quarterfinal defeat to top seeds Katerina Siniakova of Czechia and Taylor Townsend of the U.S.
Williams and Fernandez, who only paired up hours before the draw was announced, thrilled fans by winning three matches—two against seeded teams—and filling stadium courts along the way.
But Siniakova and Townsend, winners of the 2024 Wimbledon and 2025 Australian Open doubles titles, proved too strong, firing 19 winners against just three unforced errors and dominating on serve by winning 28 of 34 service points without facing a break.
“Growing up watching Venus and Serena had always been for me and my sister an inspiration,” Townsend said. “We wanted to be like them when we grew up and it’s an honor to be able to share the court with (Venus) today.”
Despite the loss, Williams and Fernandez left to a standing ovation at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Siniakova and Townsend advance to face No. 4 seeds Veronika Kudermetova of Russia and Elise Mertens of Belgium, who defeated fifth seeds Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider 6-4, 6-2.