Venus Williams’s new quest: finding out how much longer she can stretch time

The 45-year-old fell short in her quest to reach the US Open doubles quarter-finals, but her love for tennis appears undiminished

For a minute there, it was just like old times - with the high stakes and the capacity crowd and the Venus Williams on court. After Aryna Sabalenk's singles match ended in a walkover on Tuesday, Williams's doubles quarter-final was bumped into primetime on Louis Armstrong Stadium to fill the hole in the schedule. And when Williams took the court with partner Leylah Fernandez in her black pleated dress and matching visor as the sun dipped toward the horizon, she looked for all the world like a woman determined to turn back time. Unfortunately for her, Fernandez and the throng that gathered to cheer them on, their opponents were keen to skip forward.

Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend didn't just cut the nostalgia trip short. Quite emphatically, they illustrated the difference between Williams and Fernandez, the doubles pairing out there for funsies, and themselves - the team that's truly in it to win it. The top seeds' beat Williams-Fernandez 6-2, 6-1 in just under just an hour. Siniakova and Townsend won all their service games, controlled the net and broke Williams and Fernandez at will - they beat em up so bad they practically apologized for it afterward.