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
Alcaraz swats aside Walton as career Grand Slam bid begins in Melbourne
- The 22-year-old Spaniard can eclipse Don Budge and become the youngest man to win all four major singles titles at least once
MELBOURNE: Carlos Alcaraz kicked off his latest bid for a career Grand Slam by dismantling unseeded Australian Adam Walton 6-3 7-6(2) 6-2 in the first round of the Australian Open on Sunday, as the world number one showcased the power and precision befitting a player chasing history.
The 22-year-old Spaniard, who can eclipse Don Budge and become the youngest man to win all four major singles titles at least once, gave a packed Rod Laver Arena an exhibition in shot-making that had fans either glued to their seats or rising in ovation.
“I’m really happy to step on to the court for the first time this season. I think it couldn’t be better than here at Rod Laver Arena. It was a good match, I felt great,” Alcaraz said.
“Adam (showed) a great level in the match so I had to stay there. Overall, I’m happy with the level I played at today.
“It was difficult to find good spots (against him) ... he was always in a good position, long rallies and solid from the baseline. His flat ball was sometimes really difficult for me.
“It was a really solid match and when he was able to step in on the court and play aggressive, he did, and that made it really difficult in the match.”
A ferocious forehand helped Alcaraz to grab the first break for a 5-3 lead and the six-times Grand Slam champion closed out the opening set on his retooled serve, which now bears more than a passing resemblance to the delivery of Novak Djokovic.
That technical tweak followed Alcaraz’s abrupt split last month with long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, whose steadying influence was missing when the Spaniard was dragged into a second-set tiebreak after a spell of loose, crowd-pleasing tennis.
A ruthless Alcaraz came out all guns blazing to double his advantage in the clash and then rode the momentum to ease through the third set, booking a second-round meeting with Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann.
