Venus Williams and Peyton Stearns didn't go down without a fight but ultimately didn't have enough to upset the No. 1 seeds, as Storm Hunter and Taylor Townsend sealed a 6-2 7-6 (5) win to reach the Austin quarterfinal.
Hunter and Townsend, two former world No. 1s in doubles, showed their doubles prowess right from the start after claiming two breaks to routinely take the first set.
After not standing a chance in the first set, Williams and Stearns – who were playing as a duo for the first time – stabilized on their serve and managed to send the second set into a tie-break. And while the American pair continued to compete well in the tie-break and had the score tied to five points apiece, they couldn't deliver in the key moments as Hunter and Townsend won the next two points to get the job done in straight sets.
This week, 45-year-old Williams played in Austin for the first time in her career. A day earlier, the seven-time Grand Slam champion was beaten by Ajla Tomljanovic in the singles first round. The former world No. 1 may have lost both of her Austin matches, but didn't fail to fill up the stands.
Taylor Townsend & Storm Hunter take down Venus Williams & Peyton Stearns 6-2, 7-6(5) in Austin.
Great second set from Venus/Peyton especially for playing together for the first time but the top seeds just had too much moxie in the end. pic.twitter.com/1tRRZjab4F
— Christian's Court (@christianscourt) February 26, 2026
What's next for Williams?
After concluding her Austin campaign, the five-time Wimbledon winner heads to Indian Wells, where she will play as a wildcard. The 45-year-old will also make an appearance in doubles with Leylah Fernandez, with whom she reached the US Open quarterfinal last September.
Williams owns a 0-4 record in singles and a 0-3 record in doubles this year.
