Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams produced a vintage performance to defeat her sister Serena 6-3, 6-4 and advance to the pre-quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Monday.
23-time Major winner Serena, who was playing just her third match in 14-months after coming back from maternity leave, was beaten by Venus for the first time since August 2014, when Venus had defeated her in the Rogers Cup in Canada.
With her triumph, Venus snapped her three-match losing streak against Serena and accomplished her first straight sets win over her since the 2008 Wimbledon final.
The tension in the atmosphere was quite visible at the start of the contest as the initial two games alone took 14 minutes. However, eventually Venus succeeded in drawing first blood as she broke to lead 4-2 before clinching the opening set with successive aces.
With errors mounting from the racquet of Serena, she was left frustrated right at the beginning of the second set as she gifted Venus an early break. Serena changed tactics in the next game as she tried to bring Venus to the net, Venus was up for the challenge as she held on to her serve and then broke again to gain a 3-0 advantage.
And even though Serena achieved her first break of the set in game No. 4, Venus proved too strong in the end as she closed out the match with back-to-back service winners to seal the deal in 85 minutes.
“She played so well, I think it’s such a treat for everyone to see this match so early in her comeback. I always know that it’s never over until it’s over. She kept roaring back. I’m just lucky that I’ve played more matches than her right now,” said Venus after her victory on court.
“I’m from right down the street, in Compton, California. This just shows that wherever you come from, if you put in the work and you believe in yourself, you can do anything.”
