Serena showed no mercy to sister Venus

Sports Desk: Serena Williams equalled her most lopsided victory ever in 30 professional meetings with sister Venus, beating her 6-1 6-2 on Saturday in the third round of the US Open.

Serena shook off an early ankle injury to win seven straight games and seize control in her most dominant performance since giving birth to her daughter Olympia a year ago.

The sisters’ earliest meeting at a grand slam in 20 years was over early, with Venus unable to do anything to blunt Serena’s power, even after the crowd tried desperately to get behind her early in the second set.

They hadn’t played this early in a major 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 scoreline in a semi-final in Charleston in 2013 but today was easily the most one-sided meeting at a grand slam. Prior to this clash, the most dominant major victory was Venus’s 6-2 6-4 win in the 2001 US Open final.

In her on-court interview, Serena said it was the “best match” she’d played since returning to tennis after becoming a mum. But she gained no joy from that fact, refusing to celebrate after the match as she pondered the awkwardness of the situation.

The mother-of-one was all class after securing her passage through to the fourth round, praising her sister and discussing what it meant to share the court with her.

“It’s not easy (playing Venus). She’s my best friend. She means the world to me and is so supportive of my career. Every time she loses I feel like I do,” Serena said. “It’s a tournament and we all know there’s more to life than playing each other and just playing tennis.

“I love her will all my heart and she’s the reason I’m here. She’s the only reason I’m still out here so I owe everything to her.

“I hope my dad didn’t watch. I mean it’s his two daughters playing each other, it’s not easy. I know he’s probably feeling as nervous as we did.”

Serena captured the mood with the perfect post on her Instagram account not long after the match.

Agencies


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