NEW YORK — Four years after she retired from tennis, Serena Williams was playing again at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows on Tuesday, back on the hardcourt where she once dominated rivals en route to six U.S. Open singles titles.

Her Queens comeback, however, started in the mixed doubles tournament, paired with Carlos Alcaraz, the No. 2-ranked man in the world. They won their first match handily, but fell in their second match Tuesday evening and were eliminated.

Williams, 44, last competed at the U.S. Open in 2022, before announcing she was stepping away from the sport to pursue her business ventures. She launched a singles comeback in June at Wimbledon, but lost in the first round to Maya Joint. She had planned to play in the doubles event at Wimbledon with her sister, Venus, but withdrew because of a knee injury.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Open announced that the Williams sisters had been given a wild-card entry into the doubles tournament there starting next week.

The mixed doubles competition is unfolding during Fan Week, a free event before the tournament’s main draw. The men’s and women’s singles matches begin Sunday.

But before the main tournaments open play, Williams was thrilling fans once again.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Hiroko Masuike
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