Serena matches her easiest win over Venus
NEW YORK » Serena Williams kept booming big shots for winners, never allowing herself to feel sorry for the overmatched player on the other side.
So what if it happened to be her big sister?
The Williams sisters, long ago in careers that have spanned 20 years and 30 meetings as professionals, learned they had to view each other only as opponents — and in Serena’s eyes, Venus is the best one she’s ever played.
“Even though it’s difficult, especially for me,” Serena said, “we just do the best that we can.”
On Friday, it was perhaps the best she’s ever done against Venus.
Serena equaled her mostlopsided victory against her sister with a 6-1, 6-2 rout in the third round of the U.S. Open.
Serena shook off an early ankle injury to win seven straight games and seize control in perhaps her most dominant performance since giving birth to her daughter a year ago Saturday.
The sisters’ earliest meeting in a Grand Slam tournament in 20 years was over early, with Venus unable to do anything to blunt Serena’s power, even after the fans that were part of Friday’s single-day record crowd of 70,162 tried desperately to get behind her with pleas of “Come on, Venus!” early in the second set.
“I think it’s by far the best match I ever played against her in forever,” Serena said of the match that lasted just 1 hour, 12 minutes. “But I don’t know about ever, ever. It probably was. I played much better tonight than I have since I started this journey on my LOOKAHEAD TO SATURDAY The highlight of the Day 6 schedule is pretty much the entire slate at Arthur Ashe Stadium. U.S. Open champions Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic all hit the court and try and move into the fourth round. Madison Keys, a finalist last year, also plays in Ashe. Perhaps the most intriguing matchup comes when the second-seeded Federer plays No. 30 Nick Krygios. A chair umpire who climbed out of his seat to talk with Kyrgios during a second-round match was heavily criticized for the rare sight in Grand Slam tennis. Kyrgios, a 23-year-old Australian, did not appear to be putting forth much effort while dropping the first set and falling behind 3-0 in the second. Kyrgios said he just wasn’t feeling well but rallied to win. Federer is seeking his sixth title at the U.S. Open, but first in a decade. He could face 13-time major champion Djokovic in the quarterfinals. SATURDAY’S FORECAST Sunny, cool. High of 78 degrees.
way back.”
“It’s not easy,” Serena said, despite how easy it looked in a match that lasted just 1 hour, 12 minutes.
They hadn’t played this early in a Grand Slam since Venus won in the second round of the 1998 Australian Open in their first meeting as pros, and only once over the next two decades had either won so decisively. Serena won by the same score in a semifinal victory in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2013.
“I think it’s the best match she’s ever played against me,” Venus said. “I don’t think I did a lot wrong. But she just did everything right.”
Serena, the No. 17 seed, will face Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, who knocked out topranked Simona Halep in the first round. FRIDAY’S KEY RESULTS Men’s third round: No. 1 Rafael Nadal beat Karen Khachanov 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (3); No. 5 Kevin Anderson beat Denis Shapovalov 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4; No. 9 Dominic Thiem beat Taylor Fritz 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-4; No. 11 John Isner beat Dusan Lajovic, Serbia, 7-6 (8), 6-7 (6), 6-3, 7-5. Women’s third round: No. 3 Sloane Stephens beat Victoria Azarenka, Belarus, 6-3, 6-4; No. 7 Elina Svitolina beat Qiang Wang, China, 6-4, 6-4; No. 15 Elise Mertens beat Barbora Strycova 6-3, 7-6 (4); No. 17 Serena Williams beat Venus Williams 6-1, 6-2; No. 19 Anastasija Sevastova beat Ekaterina Makarova 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. STAT OF THE DAY 40: Nadal won a 40-stroke exchange when Khachanov netted a backhand. QUOTE OF THE DAY “I hope my dad didn’t watch. It’s his two daughters playing each other. It’s not very easy.” — Serena Williams, on her dominating victory over sister Venus.
Serena, who turns 37 next month, leads the series 18-12 with her sister, 11-5 in Grand Slam tournaments. But this one wasn’t expected to be so easy, not with Serena still working her way back into form after returning to the tour in the spring.
But this was the type of tennis that has brought her to 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the ability to pound balls all over the court and chase down the rare shots that looked like they might get past her.
“Obviously that level is definitely where she’s going to want to stay during this whole tournament,” Venus said.
Serena pounded 10 aces to just one for Venus, the No. 16 seed who was perhaps a little drained after two tough matches to begin the tournament, including a three-setter against 2004 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in her opener.
Serena had an easier time in the first two rounds, though that was expected to change Friday under the lights in Arthur Ashe Stadium. They had combined for eight titles in Flushing Meadows, six by Serena, and each had beaten the other in a U.S. Open final.
But there was no beating Serena on this night, and the discouraged look on Venus’ face across much of the match indicated she seemed to realize it.
“I mean, she played so well, I never got to really even touch any balls,” said Venus, a semifinalist at the U.S. Open last year. “When your opponent plays like that, it’s not really anything to be upset about.”