INDIAN WELLS, California: Venus Williams defeated younger sister Serena 6-3, 6-4 in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open on Monday night, her first win in the sibling rivalry since 2014.
It was the sisters’ earliest meeting since a 17-year-old Venus beat 16-year-old Serena in the second round of the 1998 Australian Open. They played Monday night for the first time since last year’s Australian Open final, when a pregnant Serena won her 23rd Grand Slam title.
Venus closed out the 1 ½-hour match on her second match point when Serena’s forehand service return sailed long. It was one of Serena’s 41 unforced errors, including 17 on the forehand side.
Serena still owns a 17-12 advantage overall, although Venus evened their WTA Tour head-to-head meetings at 7-7.
“I really abhor every time we play, but I do enjoy the battle when I’m out there,” Serena said last weekend. “It’s just afterwards I don’t like it as much.”
It was obvious at the net when they greeted each other with a one-arm hug and neither smiled. Venus did her usual victory pirouette, but still didn’t smile.
A stone-faced Serena exited the court to cheers, pointing her right index finger in the air.
Serena was back on the WTA Tour for the first time since ending a 14-month absence during which she gave birth to daughter Alexis Jr. and married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who sat courtside.
Typically, the sisters wouldn’t meet until the later rounds of a tournament. But 36-year-old Serena was unseeded in this event. Venus, 37, is seeded eighth.
Serena won her first two matches, while Venus received a first-round bye and won her opening match.
The Indian Wells match was 17 years in the making.
The sisters were supposed to play each other in the desert in 2001. A packed stadium awaited their semifinal but shortly before the match was to begin Venus withdrew with a right knee injury.
Serena went on to play Kim Clijsters in the final. Venus and her father Richard were greeted with boos as they made their way to their seats, with some fans believing Richard had been behind Venus’ withdrawal.
Richard Williams said he heard racial slurs from the crowd and he paused to shake his fist at them. Serena was booed throughout the final before she beat Clijsters in three sets for her second title in the desert.
After that, the sisters boycotted Indian Wells for 14 years. Serena came back in 2015 only to withdraw with a knee injury before her semifinal, and Venus followed the next year.
Both sisters have been greeted warmly by fans each time they’ve played here since that turbulent time.
Serena Williams ousted from Indian Wells by sister Venus
Serena Williams ousted from Indian Wells by sister Venus
Mhally lands Saudi Cup start
- 2000 Guineas winner shines in The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup
RIYADH: Last year’s winner of the 2000 Guineas, Mhally (GB), stepped up to the mark 12 months later to earn a place in the 2026 Saudi Cup with victory under in-form Ricardo Ferreira in the Group 3 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup.
The success in the $400,000 feature at King Abdulaziz Racecourse was part of a Ferreira four-timer and capped a terrific day for the rider who, along with trainer Thamer Al-Daihani and owner Sheikh Abdullah Homoud Al-Malek Al-Sabah, also won the 2000 Guineas again, this time with Al-Haram (IRE).
Mhally progressed from his 2000 Guineas success to be third on Saudi Cup night in the Derby in 2025 and will be back again this time in the main $20 million event on Feb. 14 after proving his stamina in the qualifier over 1800m.
There were four in with a chance halfway down the home stretch, but Mhally knows where the winning post is at King Abdulaziz and found more when required to deny last year’s US winning rider, Joel Rosario, aboard Ameerat Al-Zamaan (GB) by three-quarters of a length.
And the owner-trainer-jockey combination could have another superstar on their hands, given Al Haram’s devastating success in the $124,000 2000 Guineas sponsored by J Event.
The 3-year-old had won both of his previous starts over the 1600m trip but took his form to a new level to qualify for the $1.5 million G3 Saudi Derby.
Al-Haram was slightly slow away and found himself at the rear of the field, leaving himself with a huge task ahead, but he found generously for pressure and surged through the field to win in monstrous fashion by seven-and-a-quarter lengths.
Maestro Du Croate (FR) ran well to be third last week and got off the mark at the seventh attempt under Camilo Ospina to take the $44,000 G3 Al-Diriyah Cup sponsored by STC.
Nijinski Al Maury (FR) looked to be going best turning in, but the Bassim Al-Mousa-trained 4-year-old found more under an inspired Ospina, and after an almighty tussle, collected by one length to qualify for the $2 million G1 Obaiya Arabian Classic.
Ospina also took the $44,000 Riyadh Dirt Sprint Qualifier sponsored by Nova as his Min Shan (KSA) led home a one-two for the White Stable of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and Sons.
Over three lengths separated Min Shan from the Mickael Barzalona-ridden Jeddah Beach (USA) at the line, with the winner completing a hat-trick over the 1200m trip to land a gate in the $2 million G2 Riyadh Dirt Sprint.
One of Ferreira’s other winners came as Thayaf (KSA) maintained his unbeaten record with a fourth career victory in the domestic G1 King Abdulaziz Cup, while Christophe Soumillon landed back-to-back wins aboard Wanaameen (KSA) as they followed up last month’s success in the domestic G1 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup.
