Fans of the sisters are thinking it’s about time for either Venus or Serena to repeat that feat as both have cruised through the first couple of rounds in the Big Apple, each showing readiness for a run on the hard courts that will culminate with a singles crown on Super Saturday night.
It’s surprising that it’s been six years since a Williams sister reigned as queen of Queens and in Venus’ case I’m very surprised that she hasn’t claimed more than a couple of U.S. Open crowns given her game and style of play. Her formidable run at this major came between 1997 and 2002 when in addition to her two titles she made two other appearances in the final and two more in the semifinals.
Besides their talent – which when they are playing at their best – can be heads above all their challengers -- the sisters have other factors working in their favor as they try to end their family’s stretch of leaving New York without another singles title to add to the collection of Venus or Serena.
Justine Henin, who beat both Venus and Serena at last year’s U.S. Open on her way to taking the title has retired. Maria Sharapova, the 2006 U. S. Open champion, is sidelined and rehabilitating a shoulder injury. And Ana Ivanovic, the top seed is gone, having been stunned in the second round by Julie Coin, a qualifier from France.
In fact, it may very well be that the biggest hurdle for each Williams sister to overcome to win this U.S. Open is each other. In a draw Venus and Serena did not wish for they are potential and likely quarterfinal opponents next Tuesday night.
They would have preferred that any meeting between them on the grandest tennis stage in New York – Arthur Ashe Stadium – would have come in the women’s singles final. They wanted it just like at Wimbledon earlier this summer when neither lost a set on the way to the title match on grass, won by Venus, 7-5, 6-4.
Picking a favorite in an all-Williams quarterfinal clash is tricky. If the match were on clay, I’d give Serena the edge because she has won on the red dirt at the French Open and Venus has not. On grass, my nod would go to Venus, who has won Wimbledon five times. But on a hard court, I call it equal. And the numbers bear that out as it’s virtually even (6-5 Serena) when the sisters battle it out on hard courts.
While by no means a forgone conclusion, a showdown between the sisters is expected by many unless either or both lay an egg in their performances in the third and fourth rounds.
In the third round on Saturday Venus will face her first seeded opponent -- No. 27 Alona Bondarenko. The Ukrainian is coming off a knee injury and she was beaten with relative ease by Venus (6-1, 6-2) in the third round of last year’s U.S. Open. Venus should not have any trouble sending Bondarenko packing again.
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