Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka recently took to the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium for a joint practice session ahead of the 2025 US Open. The two Americans will team up for the first time at the revamped mixed doubles event, which starts on August 19.
What Can Fans Expect From Venus Williams and Reilly Opelka at Fan Week?
The United States Tennis Association has elevated this year’s Fan Week by introducing a high-stakes mixed doubles competition with a prize pool of $1 million. Scheduled for August 19 and 20 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the event will feature 16 star-studded pairings.
The lineup includes Naomi Osaka and Gael Monfils, Emma Raducanu and Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Świątek and Casper Ruud, Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula, and Olga Danilović and Novak Djokovic, among others.
View this post on Instagram
The US Open’s official account on X shared a clip of Williams and Opelka hitting together, offering fans a behind-the-scenes look at the duo preparing for their mixed doubles debut. They will face Karolína Muchová and Andrey Rublev in the opening round, with the winner facing either second seeds Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz or Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.
View this post on Instagram
For Williams, the Fan Week spotlight comes on the heels of her recent comeback to the tour after a 16-month hiatus. The 45-year-old returned to action at the Citi DC Open in Washington, D.C. last month, competing in both singles and doubles. The former World No. 1 partnered with compatriot Hailey Baptiste to defeat Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue in the opening round of the doubles event
In singles, Williams stunned fellow American Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-4, earning her first singles victory since the 2023 Cincinnati Open. The result also made her the oldest player to claim a WTA Tour main-draw singles win since Martina Navratilova in 2004.
Williams’ run ended in the next round with a loss to fifth seed Magdalena Fręch, while in doubles, she and Baptiste lost to eventual champions Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai in the quarterfinals. She followed up her Washington campaign with another wildcard appearance at the Cincinnati Open but fell in the first round to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in straight sets.
Williams is now gearing up for her 25th US Open appearance, becoming the oldest singles competitor at the tournament since Renée Richards participated in 1981 at the age of 47.
