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Venus Williams joined forces with Leylah Fernandez for the first time at this year’s US Open, and the new duo made an immediate impact by knocking out sixth seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok and Ellen Perez to reach the second round. Their chemistry on court was so natural that Venus praised Leylah as the best partner she’s had outside of her sister Serena.
After a hard-fought singles loss to Karolina Muchova in the opening round on Tuesday, Williams accepted a wildcard to partner the 23-years-younger Fernandez. Remarkably, three years before Fernandez was even born, Williams had already captured her first US Open women’s doubles crown in 1999 — one of 14 Grand Slam doubles titles that have decorated her storied career.
Cuteness overload ❤️
Leylah Fernandez invited Venus Williams to do her signature twirl-wave after their doubles win today. pic.twitter.com/WDuiWYEuZT
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 28, 2025
“We play the same style, I’m just a little bit bigger, but we’re a great team. She’s the best partner I’ve had outside of Serena,” Williams said after the win, to the delight of Fernandez, who grew up inspired by the Williams legends.
“It was nerve-wracking, exciting,” Fernandez said of playing alongside her tennis idol. “The night before I was shaking, I was super happy. You were super nice and welcoming, that brought my nerves down, so thank you for doing that!”
At 45, Williams celebrated her first Grand Slam victory in four years as the duo edged past Kichenok and Perez 7-6(4) 6-3. Note that Kichenok won the women’s doubles title with Jelena Ostapenko last year at the US Open.
Next, Williams and Fernandez will face Japan’s Eri Hozumi and Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri. (source: BBC)
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