By Erik Gudris | Friday, August 29, 2025Photo credit: Mike Stone/Getty
Venus Williams finds herself extending her stay in New York thanks to a last minute phone call.
The all-time great continues to play at this year’s US Open after she and Canada’s Leylah Fernandez accepted a wildcard into the women’s doubles draw.
Playing for the first time ever, they enjoyed a winning debut as they upset the No. 6 seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok of Ukraine and Ellen Perez of Australia 7-6(4), 6-3 to reach the second round on a packed Louis Armstrong Stadium.
After the win, Williams praised her younger partner’s doubles skills and heaped high praise upon the 22-year-old Canadian who was the US Open singles finalist in 2021.
“(She’s) the best partner I ever played with — outside of Serena.” Williams revealed in her post-match interview.
Fernandez, who after the match, joined in the crowd’s applause as Williams did her signature victory twirl on court, was stunned by the news.
“I was shocked (laughing),” Fernandez said later in their press conference. “It was like probably the biggest compliment I ever got, so thank you, Venus. Oh, man. I feel like those are big shoes to fill at the moment. But no, I’m just super happy. I think it’s just another opportunity for me to get better as a tennis player and just keep improving.”
Williams, 45, has won 14 major doubles titles with her sister Serena Williams. Though Williams had not planned to play women’s doubles at this year’s US Open, she changed her mind after receiving a late-night phone call from Fernandez’s team asking if she would team up with the Canadian.
“I was like a kid on Christmas day just jumping around. I was so happy. I don’t think I stopped smiling for the whole night and even in the morning. I was just super happy and excited,” Fernandez said. “I’m just glad that we got the chance to play together and move on to the next round.”
Williams, despite all her success in doubles, confessed she doesn’t view herself as being that good in doubles after all.
“I always tell people, I’m not good at doubles. No one believes me. You know, I think traditionally doubles players are crossing and moving, and I don’t necessarily do all of that, but push comes to shove, I’ll do what I have to. I’m a singles player, so of course, when I walk out there, I actually tell myself just to play singles and try that method, and I try not to be something that I’m not.
To be honest, it’s an area that I’m not that comfortable in being on the doubles court, but I think you get to some point in the match where you stop thinking about it, and then you just zone.”
While both admitted they entered the match with no real strategy in place, Williams felt like her experience and Fernandez’s talent would suit them both well.
“I’m used to being the big sister, so I’m kind of, like, asking her what she wants. It’s important for her to feel comfortable,” Williams said. “Theoretically I have the more experience, but she’s been playing a lot more matches, so maybe that makes us neck and neck, right, in terms of how we can compete. But I think we just had to see what happened, right, because you never know what’s going to happen in a match and you have to adjust. Once we got down, then I feel like we just put our foot on the gas.”
Williams, who has been away from the tour for 16 months, returned to competition this summer in Washington, D.C. before playing later in Cincinnati. Williams played in both the singles, losing in the first round to No. 11 seed Karolina Muchova, and in mixed doubles with Reilly Opelka at this year’s US Open. This is the first time she has played in all three events at a major since Wimbledon in 1998.
“With the amount of matches I’ve played, I’m progressing very quickly,” Williams said. “I didn’t have to come back to play tennis, but eventually I found my way back.”
Williams and Fernandez next face Ulrikke Elkeri of Norway and Eri Hozumi of Japan in the next round.
