A tale of two sisters: Serena meets Venus at the US Open

The sisters played each other at the 4th round of Wimbledon this year – a tournament Serena would go on to win.

Theirs is perhaps one of the best known sibling rivalries in the world of sports. When Serena Williams and Venus Williams come onto the tennis court, their mere presence on either side of the net casts a spell on onlookers, with all eyes on their immense display of power and skill. Despite their names echoing literal meanings like “Calm” (Serene) and “Goddess of Love” (Venus), when they are on court, emotion seems to take a backseat with determination and grit taking the forefront, in a hallmark of a true sportsman.

Now, tennis fans across the globe await another such treat and this time, the venue is the US Open 2015. Ahead of their quarterfinal match on Tuesday – in fact, immediately after Serena beat Madison Keys on Sunday in the round of 16, the discussion wheels started to turn recounting every encounter that the sisters have had before, and speculating who had an edge this time around.

This will be the 27th time the sisters will have played against each other in a major tournament, and it is their 14th Grand Slam match against each other. So far, the head-to-head statistics seem to be in Serena’s favor, with her winning 15 of the 26 matches played till date. Interestingly, when the matches are narrowed down to just Grand Slams, Serena still takes the lead with 8 wins over 5 for Venus.

The last three times the two sisters had a Grand Slam face-off, i.e. 2008 US Open, 2009 Wimbledon and the more recent 2015 Wimbledon, Serena emerged victorious each time, and every one of those victories came in straight sets.

However, when it comes to the US Open, things start to get a little tricky as both sisters are tied at a 2-2 statistic here. While Venus clinched the final here in 2001, Serena bagged the same title the following year. Venus then defeated her sister in the fourth round in 2005 while Serena won against her in the quarterfinal of 2008.

Looking at their individual performances this year too makes it all the more difficult to pick out a clear favourite. Serena has had a good run this year, losing only a mere two matches so far this year. But Venus wowed critics and fans alike when she beat Belinda Bencic – a potential opponent that everyone was expecting for Serena in the quarterfinals – in straight sets.

Serena could be high on confidence after her win against Venus in Wimbledon this year, but it is to be remembered that this victory was on grass. In their last meeting on hard court, which is the surface that the US Open is played on, Venus clearly was on top in their match in Montreal in August 2014.

Looking at some of their earlier matches gives a sense of just what a nail-biting treat Tuesday’s match could be for fans. In the semifinals at Bangalore in 2008 and in their face-off at the WTA finals in 2009, Venus held match point before Serena whisked the win away from her.

Off court, both sisters have shown nothing but love and respect for each other, but they have made it clear that while on court, each of them is vying not only to win that particular match but also to be the best player in the tournament. With such a delicious rivalry and rich history between these two talented sisters, Tuesday’s US Open quarterfinal promises to be a true delight to watch.