Serena set for Venus clash
THIRD ROUND MEETING IS THEIR EARLIEST AT A MAJOR IN 20 YEARS
Get ready for the latest Grand Slam instalment of Williams v Williams. One big difference this time: The superstar siblings will be meeting in the third round at the US Open, their earliest showdown at a major tournament in 20 years.
Serena Williams set up the highly anticipated matchup at Flushing Meadows by hitting 13 aces and overwhelming 101st-ranked Carina Witthoeft of Germany 6-2, 6-2 in a little more than an hour in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday night.
Hours earlier, across the way at Louis Armstrong Stadium, Venus Williams did her part with another straight-set victory, eliminating 40th-ranked Camila Giorgi of Italy 6-4, 7-5.
“Unfortunately and fortunately, we have to play each other. We make each other better. We bring out the best when we play each other. It’s what we do,” Serena said. “I think we’re used to it now.”
When they play today, it will be their 30th tour-level encounter — plus, of course, all those times when they traded shots from across the net as kids in California, then on practice courts all around the world. It’s also soonest the sisters have played each other at any Grand Slam since their very first tour match, all the way back at the 1998 Australian Open. Venus won that one. But since then, it’s been the younger Serena who’s grown dominant.
The reason this match comes so early is that their rankings are not what they’ve been in the past. Serena is No. 26, playing in only the seventh tournament since she was off the tour for more than a year while having a baby. Even though the US Tennis Association bumped her seeding up to reflect her past success, it still placed her at No. 17. Venus, meanwhile is No. 16.
“It’s so young in the tournament,” Serena said. “We would have rather met later.”
She leads the series 17-12, including 10-5 at majors.
Both have been ranked No. 1. They have won a combined 30 Grand Slam singles trophies, 23 by Serena. They own eight US Open singles championships, six by Serena.
They’ve played each other in the finals of all four Slams, including at the US. Open in 2001 (when Venus won) and 2002 (when Serena did).
“It’s incredible what they’ve done. I mean, amazing really. Obviously there’s been other siblings that have had fantastic careers in tennis, but none anywhere close to what they’ve managed to achieve,” said three-time major champion Andy Murray, whose first major since hip surgery ended with a four-set loss to No. 31 Fernando Verdasco. “I’d be surprised if anything like that ever happens again.”
Received a warning
Defending champion Rafael Nadal followed Serena into Ashe and wasn’t really troubled at all, other than when he received a warning for letting the 25-second serve clock expire — something he figured was really his opponent’s fault. Either way, Nadal shrugged off that third-set distraction and finished off a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Canada’s Vasek Pospisil.
Two other past men’s champions won — Juan Martin del Potro, who beat Dennis Kudla of the US, and Stan Wawrinka — as did 2017 runner-up Kevin Anderson, and No. 11 seed John Isner.
Two-time major champion Garbine Muguruza built a big lead but gave it away and was stunned 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 by 202nd-ranked Czech qualifier Karolina Muchova in a match that ended after 1am on as Wednesday turned to Thursday.
Seeded women who advanced earlier on another day with the temperature topping 95 degrees (33 Celsius) included No. 7 Elina Svitolina, No. 8 Karolina Pliskova, No. 15 Elise Mertens, No. 19 Anastasija Sevastova and No. 23 Barbora Strycova, all in straight sets.