NEW YORK (AFP) — Venus and Serena Williams are slated to compete in women’s doubles at the 2026 US Open after being granted a wildcard, tournament officials announced Wednesday.

The announcement by the US Tennis Association (USTA) follows Serena Williams’ dramatic return to Arthur Ashe stadium Tuesday when she and mixed doubles partner Carlos Alcaraz of Spain won their first match before losing in the quarterfinals.

Venus Williams had earlier been granted a USTA wildcard to compete in women’s singles, an event Serena Williams is not participating in.

The sisters together have combined for 14 women’s doubles Grand Slam titles, including two US Opens. They have also won three gold medals together in the Olympics in women’s doubles.

The sisters last competed together in New York in 2022 when they lost their opening match to the Czech team of Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova.

They dropped their opening match in the Cincinnati Open earlier this month.

The pair had been entered in Wimbledon earlier this summer, but withdrew after Serena suffered an injury in an opening round singles loss.

Meanwhile, Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka has also been granted a last-minute wildcard following the controversy over his omission.

The US Tennis Association announced Wawrinka, a three-time singles Grand Slam winner, would replace Patrick Kypson. Kypson was originally awarded the spot, but withdrew with injury, the USTA said.

“I’m incredibly excited to accept the wild card for the 2026 US Open and look forward to competing in front of the fans in New York once again,” Wawrinka said in a USTA press release.

The omission of Wawrinka, 41, from the original list of wildcards has been a bubbling controversy within tennis since the USTA announced its picks last week.

Wawrinka, who has said he will retire after this season, opened the 2026 Grand Slam campaign solidly, winning two rounds at the Australian Open before losing in four sets to Taylor Fritz, a top US player.

Wawrinka lost in the first round of both the French Open and Wimbledon and has struggled to amass main tour wins in recent months.

But at No. 127, Wawrinka is not far from the cutoff to merit direct entry.

Furthermore, he was the only other player besides Andy Murray to win multiple Grand Slams in a period dominated by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

The original snub had sparked criticism from pundits and former players such as 2003 US Open Champion Andy Roddick, with many questioning the USTA’s system for doling out slots for players who don’t qualify by ranking.Williams sisters, Wawrinka secure U.S. Open wildcards