Aryna Sabalenka defeated Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 6-4 on Friday, September 4, 2026, to advance to the round of 16 at the U.S. Open. ^[1] Tournament 3-seed Jessica Pegula defeated Leylah Fernandez 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the round of 16 at the US Open. ^[2] Serena and Venus Williams are scheduled to play a doubles match on Friday night at the US Open in New York. ^[3] The Williams sisters lost to the Taiwanese-Australian pair of Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint with a final score of 6-3, 6-7(6), and 7-6(7). ^[4] Sabalenka, the No. 1 seed, aims to become the first player to win three consecutive U.S. Open titles since Serena Williams achieved the feat from 2012 to 2014. ^[5] The match was decided in a dramatic super tie-break in the third set where the Williams sisters held a 5-0 lead before Chan and Joint won ten of the last twelve points. ^[6] The Williams sisters hold a historic record of 31 wins and only 2 losses in their first-round appearances at Grand Slam tournaments. ^[7] The match between the Williams sisters and Chan/Joint lasted more than three hours and ended with a score of 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(7). ^[8] The winners came from 0-5 down in the deciding 10-point tiebreaker. ^[9] Serena Williams, 44, returned to singles competition at Wimbledon as a wild card after almost four years away, facing Maya Joint in her first Grand Slam main draw since the 2022 US Open. ^[10] Sabalenka's second set against Rakhimova lasted 54 minutes, which was one minute longer than her entire previous match. ^[11] Venus Williams will play her first-round doubles match at the U.S. Open on Friday night, teaming with Serena Williams against Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint. ^[12]