Williams Sisters at War: World No1 Serena clashes with elder sister, Venus in 2015 US open quarter final
When Venus and Serena first came out on tour, older sister ‘V’ had a little more variety and prowess and when they had to face off against each other, Serena was pretty vulnerable. They both were excellent when they were on, but between 1998 and 2001, Venus was phenomenally good. Serena was incredibly powerful, but playing against Venus, she wasn’t mature enough yet.
They played six times between 1998 and 2001, with Venus grabbing five matches, including the first time they met in the final of the US Open in 2001. In that match Venus won fairly easily, 6-2, 6-4. Venus barely smiled after the win, hugging her teary-eyed little sister.
But after that, Serena became much more solid. Her first serve became a real weapon. She could now crack Venus’s famous favorite backhand, as her monstrous forehand became more consistent and she was more accurate on the return. They were quite evenly matched, but in 2002, Serena soared, winning four straight Slams at the 2002 Roland Garros, 2002 Wimbledon, 2002 US Open and 2003 Australian Open.
Since then, the tide turned and Serena owns a 15-11 lead over Venus in their career meetings. Serena has grabbed 21 Grand Slam singles titles, while Venus has won 8 majors. Yes, Venus has won a collection of some amazing titles, but she hasn’t won a big one since 2008, when she ran over Serena. Yet Serena got chugging, never hesitated, beat Venus in the 2008 US Open final and has never looked back.
Two months ago at Wimbledon in the fourth round, Serena and Venus went at each other again, with Serena serving big and returning forcefully, winning 6-4, 6-3. Neither of them are thrilled when they have to play each other, but they are a little happier when they win. At the very least, the winner is relieved that she beat the very best.
Serena has only lost two matches this year, and has already won four majors in a row – again! – which makes her a heavy favorite. That is the case in this contest, even though Venus has been playing excellent ball during the 2015 Open. She is crushing her first serve, her forehand is deep and true and she has taken over the net. Serena knows that she has to start out fast, just as she did against rising talent Madison Keys.
Without a doubt, there will be a tremendous amount of emotion in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday night. Many folks want to see Serena win the Grand Slam, but many want to see Venus grab a major title one last time. If Venus can serve some gigantic serves, move inside the baseline and threaten her sister, she can snare a set, but in reality, Serena is super strong, she knows exactly where to go and what’s-what on the court. Serena will win in three terrific sets.
