US Open 2015: ‘Sibling rivalry’ renews in Serena-Venus QF showdown
World No. 1 Serena Williams cruised past fellow American Madison Keys to setup a quarterfinal showdown with her sister Venus Williams. The 33-year-old Serena brushed off Keys in straight sets 6-3 6-3 to reach the last eight stage of the US Open at Flushing Meadows, setting up a decider of who among the two Williams will reach the semifinal round.
Serena’s road to a calendar Grand Slam will be once again tested when she fights her older sister Venus, who only needed 50 minutes to defeat Estonian qualifier Anett Kontaveit 6-2 6-1 at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Serena, who is chasing a fifth straight Grand Slam title, said playing Venus will be more intense as both of them wants to win the season finale tournament. “At least a Williams will be in the semis, so that’s good,” Williams said, the New York Times reported.
Serena showed on Monday why she won multiple titles, clicking on all cylinders with six aces, zero double faults, and 79 percent of first-serve points won at the expense of Keys. Serena had the performance she needed after struggling in the first two rounds of the tournament as she draws near to her fourth-straight US Open title.
Venus, on the other hand, believes facing her younger sister in the quarterfinal stage will be a “history” made, but the 35-year-old Venus admitted she is focused on stopping Serena from completing a Slam calendar. “It’s been awesome to have such a great sibling rivalry with Serena. We are proud of each other,” Venus said, The Guardian reported.
Venus, who is making a record 17th appearance at the US Open, has been struggling to win her eighth major tennis title since grabbing the Wimbledon trophy in 2008. While Serena is only three matches away from completing a rare feat, Venus also needs three wins to claim her first United States Open title since 2001.
The sisters faced off 26 times and last battled each other in the fourth-round of Wimbledon in July this year, when Serena won in straight sets 6-4 6-3. Meanwhile, Venus last won their sibling face-off in the semifinal round of the Rogers Cup in Canada two years ago, when the older Williams prevailed in three straight sets.
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