Venus and Serena Set for Quarterfinals Showdown in Flushing
It will be sisterly love on display in Flushing Meadows on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the women’s draw as top-seeded Serena Williams will continue her quest for history as she faces her older sister Venus Williams. Both sisters scored victories on Sunday, Serena with a very dominating 6-3, 6-3 over fellow American Madison Keys, and Venus over qualifier Anett Kontaveit of Estonia, 6-2, 6-1.
Serena leads Venus in their head-to-head series, 15-11, with an 8-5 mark at Grand Slams.
“I haven't really felt a lot of pressure. Only in that second round,” said Serena. “For whatever reason I got tight. The whole tournament, I've been really kind of rather relaxed. I don't really feel like if I win this tournament it's going to make or break my career.”
Venus has had a difficult summer, dealing with a viral illness that kept her out of the Western & Southern Open. With two wins over Kontaveit and No.12 seed Belinda Bencic, the No.23 seed is into her first US Open quarterfinal since 2010, when she fell to eventual champion Kim Clijsters in the semifinals. Next up for Williams is the winner of the match between No.19 seed and WTA Rising Star Madison Keys and her top seeded sister, Serena. The stadium crowd could hardly blame the veteran for having a rooting interest.
“We play a lot. She plays similar,” said Serena of Venus’ play. “She's fast … I'm fast. She hits hard … I hit hard. She serves big … I serve big. We have a very similar game. We've had the same coach for a long time. It's like playing a mirror. I have to be really ready.”
