The match marked a significant return to the penultimate stage of a tour event for the 46-year-old tennis icon. Williams, who entered the WTA 250 tournament via a wild-card invitation, had not reached a WTA Tour doubles semifinal since her appearances at the 2016 Rio Olympics and Wimbledon. Her last overall tour semifinal in any capacity dated back to the 2018 event in Indian Wells, California.
A challenging week in Guangzhou
The doubles competition provided a deeper run for Williams than her singles campaign, which concluded earlier in the week. In her opening singles match on Tuesday, she was defeated 6-2, 6-2 by 18-year-old Austrian qualifier Lilli Tagger. The encounter highlighted the generational shift in the sport, as Tagger was born in 2008, the same year Williams secured her seventh and final Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon.
Currently ranked No. 599 in the world, Williams entered the Guangzhou tournament following a two-month hiatus from singles play. Her last appearance prior to this week was at the US Open, where she suffered a first-round exit against Sofia Kenin. The loss to Tagger extended a difficult stretch for the veteran, who has now recorded 16 consecutive singles losses on the tour, a streak that dates back to July 2025.
