Serena and Venus Williams were beaten by Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Australia’s Maya Joint in a dramatic three-set encounter as the American sisters returned to the US Open women’s doubles on Friday.

The Williams sisters lost 6-3, 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (10/7) after surrendering a 5-0 advantage in the deciding 10-point tiebreak.

The defeat marked their first Grand Slam doubles appearance since the 2022 US Open and ended their bid for another title at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The sisters, who have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together, including two US Open crowns, recovered from dropping the opening set by taking the second in a tiebreak.

They produced 20 winners in the second set and held their serve throughout before levelling the match when Joint sent an overhead shot long, prompting a huge reaction from the home crowd.

Chan and Joint, however, responded strongly in the deciding set, moving 4-2 ahead before the Williams sisters fought back to force the match tiebreak.

Serena and Venus then raced to a 5-0 lead but were unable to maintain the advantage as Chan and Joint mounted a remarkable comeback to secure victory.

Serena, 44, returned to Flushing Meadows for the first time since her last appearance at the tournament.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion had previously made a comeback at Wimbledon as a wild card, four years after stepping away from professional tennis.

She lost her Wimbledon singles match to Joint, who said the atmosphere at Arthur Ashe Stadium was unlike anything she had experienced before.

The Williams sisters received a huge ovation when they walked onto the court, while the crowd responded enthusiastically to their winners and attacking play throughout the match.

Joint described the occasion as “surreal” and said playing against two legends of the sport was a special experience.

Venus, 46, and Serena last won a Grand Slam doubles title together at the 2018 French Open.