WASHINGTON, Aug 14, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Serena Williams rallied to defeat
sister Venus Williams 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday in a second-round matchup of
Grand Slam champions at the WTA Top Seed Open.
Top-seeded Serena, a 23-time Grand Slam winner, said the victory will boost
her confidence heading into the US Open as she improved to 19-12 in the 22-
year-old rivalry with Venus.
“I wanted to win this for my game and my confidence,” said Serena, whose
only title as a mother came in January at Auckland.
“I honestly didn’t come here to win (a title) for the first time in my
career. I just came here to get some matches. I haven’t had this much time
off since I had the baby.”
Ninth-ranked Serena is one shy of matching Margaret Court’s all-time record
of 24 Grand Slam titles and she is preparing to chase a seventh career US
Open singles crown at Flushing Meadows.
Serena smacked a cross-court forehand winner to break Venus for a 2-1 lead
in the third set, then dropped the next four games, only to break again in
the seventh on another forehand cross-court winner, then hold to 4-4.
Serena zipped a backhand cross-court winner past Venus to break for a 5-4
lead and served out the match, aided by an umpire over-rule ace to reach 30-
30.
Serena followed the call with her 14th ace and won after two hours and 19
minutes when Venus sent a forehand beyond the baseline.
“The last couple games I just wanted to win because I’ve been losing a lot
of those tight sets,” Serena said. “I just tried to focus on those last two
games.”
Serena improved to 100-110 after losing the first set, the best of any
active WTA players. In the Williams sisters rivalry, the first-set winner has
taken 26 of 31 meetings.
“This was right up there,” Serena said. “I’d say it was one of the all-time
top five super-competitive matches between the two of us.”
Serena had six double faults and hit 67% of her first serves while winning
46% of second-serve points and taking 5-of-15 break points in her first event
since February’s Fed Cup.
Venus, ranked 67th, had six aces with 11 double faults. The seven-time
Grand Slam champion ousted Victoria Azarenka in the first round.
– Combined age of 79 –
“She played unbelievable,” Serena said of Venus. “She’s doing so good. I
honestly don’t know how I was able to pull it off at the end. She played so
well.”
Venus, 40, and Serena, 38, had a combined age of 79 years and 19 days, the
third-oldest combined age of any WTA Tour match.
The sisters concluded matters with a racquet tap at the net, a nod to the
COVID-19 pandemic that had shut down the season for five months until last
week and forced the Lexington, Kentucky, event to be played without public
spectators.
Serena advanced to a quarter-final on Friday against fellow American Shelby
Rogers, who ousted Canadian teen Leylah Fernandez 6-2, 7-5.
Thursday’s match marked the earliest Serena and Venus have met in a draw
since their first tour-level meeting in the second round of the 1998
Australian Open.
Serena has won 10 of their past 12 meetings dating to Miami 2009.
It was the first match between the superstar siblings since the third round
of the 2018 US Open, when Serena, in her comeback season from maternity
leave, won 6-1, 6-2.
Also into the last eight was Jil Teichmann, who eliminated Kazak fifth seed
Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 6-2. The Swiss next plays Catherine Bellis, who beat US
compatriot Jessica Pegula 6-3, 6-2.