No Doubles Trouble For Serena Williams, Comparatively Speaking

ByMELISSA ISAACSON
August 28, 2014, 10:12 PM

— -- NEW YORK -- Enjoying 143 more minutes of the Williams sisters than the last time the doubles pair took the court, the capacity crowd squeezed into the US Open Grandstand Thursday and showed its appreciation with the equivalent of a giant group hug.

The show of support, as well as the old grittiness of a pair that has combined for 13 Grand Slam doubles titles, helped carry Venus and Serena to a 7-6 (0), 6-7 (4), 6-1 win over Wimbledon finalists and seventh-seeded Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic in a grueling 2 hours and 34 minutes.