Top seed Serena Williams overcame a lacklustre tussle with her sister Venus to reach the quarter-finals of the Top Seed Open in Lexington on Thursday.
The world No.9 battled back from a break down in the decider to clinch a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, victory after almost two-and-a-half hours on the court. It was far from a smooth encounter for Williams in what was her 31st Tour meeting with Venus as she claimed less than 50% of her second service points. Despite the blips, she managed to conjure up a game plan to fight back and clinch the victory with the help of 14 aces as she saved some of her best tennis until the end of the match.
“The last couple of games I just really wanted to win because I’ve been losing a lot of those tight sets,” Williams said during her on-court interview. “So I said (to myself) ‘I really want to try and win this.’ Just for my game and confidence. So I really tried to focus on those last two games.”
In a rivalry that spans over three decades, it was the first time the two sisters have faced off at an International-level tournament. Furthermore, it was the earliest they have played against each other in a tournament draw since the 1998 Australian Open. The showdown between 38-year-old Serena and 40-year-old Venus was the third-highest age combined match in WTA history.
Fittingly, their latest clash was a roller-coaster encounter with the higher ranked Williams experiencing difficulty early on. After breaking in the very first game of the match, she then dropped her own serve two consecutive times that cost her the opening set. Nevertheless, Williams managed to clinch the second frame to level up before encountering further difficulty. At one stage in the decider she trailed 2-4 before clinching four consecutive games in a row to seal victory.
“I think she played unbelievable, she’s doing so good. I honestly don’t know how I managed to pull it out of the can.” The former world No.1 said in tribute to Venus.
As Serena progresses, Venus’ wait for an appearance in a WTA quarter-final continues. The last time she reached the last eight was 12 months ago at the Cincinnati Open. Since then the Tour veteran has failed to win back-to-back matches at eight tournaments in a row, including four this year.
As a result of losses by Sloane Stephens and Yulia Putintseva in the first two rounds, Williams is the only seeded player remaining in her half heading into the quarter-finals. Awaiting her next will be either wild card entrant Shelby Rogers or qualifier Leylah Fernandez. Both of whom are currently ranked outside the top 100.
Despite being the overwhelming favourite to clinch the title in Lexington, Williams continues to play down the hype. Saying the absence of the crowd has helped her feel more relaxed during matches.
“I’m super relaxed, there is no crowd.It kinda makes it super relaxing and I’ve been practising in a lot hotter conditions today,” Williams explained.
“I honestly didn’t come here to win for the first time in my career. I came here to get some matches and see what happens. I haven’t had this much time off since the baby and now I’m just trying to get some rhythm and see what happens.” She added.
Williams’ latest victory now extends her winning head-to-head record against her sister to 19-12. She has now won 10 out of their last 12 meetings since the 2009 Miami Open.