This encounter marked Serena’s initial competitive appearance following Wimbledon, whereas Venus had recently participated in singles and doubles matches across three hard-court tournaments.
The duo struggled early on against the pairing of Ukraine’s Kostyuk and Stearns of the United States, but they managed to shake off what Serena described as “a little rust” during the second set.
They rapidly fell behind 6-0 in the crucial 10-point match tie-break, yet they mounted an admirable comeback.
Serena delivered two service winners to bring the tie-break back to level terms on serve, though Kostyuk and Stearns remained resilient and clinched the win following a Venus double fault.
“I found it enjoyable, distinctive, and positive,” remarked Serena.
“We were beginning to find our rhythm. Doing this once more was incredibly cool.”
To compete in either the singles or doubles draw at the US Open, scheduled to start on Sunday, 30 August, the siblings would require wildcard entries.
Serena—who characterized her knee injury as “a somewhat traumatic experience, but what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”—has contested just a single match in singles play since returning.
Although Venus has suffered defeats in her last 13 singles outings, her doubles endeavors have yielded better results, including a quarter-final appearance in New York’s women’s bracket last season.
During the height of their careers, the partners captured 14 Grand Slam doubles championships and secured three Olympic gold medals.
