Serena Williams Beats Sister Venus In Thrilling U.S. Open Quarterfinal

NEW YORK — If Serena Williams would feel sympathy for any opponent standing in the way of her pursuit of tennis’ first true Grand Slam in 27 years, it very well might be her sister, Venus.

Still, no way was Serena going to let anyone, or anything, stop her on this night, even if she found herself in a mid-match lull while facing her older sibling in the U.S. Open quarterfinals.

Moving two matches from history, top-seeded Serena got all she could handle from 23rd-seeded Venus before moving onto the semifinals at Flushing Meadows with a 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 victory Tuesday in the 27th installment of the unique Williams vs. Williams rivalry.

When it ended, they met at the net for a hug, with a smiling Venus wrapping both arms around Serena.

“She’s the toughest player I’ve ever played in my life and the best person I know,” Serena said in an on-court interview. “It’s going against your best friend and at the same time going against the greatest competitor, for me, in women’s tennis.”

Serena is 16-11 in their matches, taking seven of their last eight meetings. She leads 9-5 in majors and 3-2 at the U.S. Open. Of greater significance is this: Serena still can become the first player since Steffi Graf in 1988 to collect all four Grand Slam titles in a calendar year.

Serena took control of the opening set, grabbing its last four games. Suddenly, though, she showed some jitters early in the second, dumping a slow-for-her second serve into the net to fall behind 3-1, part of a five-game run for Venus to even the match at one set apiece.

When Serena, who is 15 months younger, earned a key break to lead 2-0 in the third set, thanks to a down-the-line backhand winner that landed in a corner, she gritted her teeth, held clenched fists near her head and leaned forward, holding the pose. She did not shake those fists or scream or jump, the way she usually does against other women.

Thumbnail photo via Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports Images