Venus Williams ended her run at the U.S. Open with a loss in the women’s doubles quarterfinal along with partner Leylah Fernandez, 1-6, 2-6, at the hands of tournament star Taylor Townsend and Kateřina Siniaková.
Williams walked off the court at Louis Armstrong Stadium and waved to the cheering crowd.
Townsend and Siniaková stood on the court and applauded Williams after the match ended, as did the crowd, noting the meaningfulness of the moment.
“Growing up watching Venus and Serena had always been for me and my sister an inspiration,” Townsed said on the court afterward. “We wanted to be like them when we grew up and it’s an honor to be able to share the court with her today.”
Williams and Fernandez had marched through the first three rounds of the doubles tournament before running into the No. 1-seeded doubles pairing in the quarterfinals.
