Serena Bests Sister Venus in Tight Matchup in Kentucky

It has been more than 22 years since Venus and Serena Williams first played each other on tour. They were teenagers then, with beads in their hair and braces on their teeth.

Tennis greatness was predicted — and not just by Richard Williams, their father and coach — and the sisters have delivered. But what is nearly as remarkable as their success is their longevity, and on Thursday they faced each other for the 31st time in a strange and new environment with Serena Williams prevailing, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, in the second round of the Top Seed Open.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, no paying spectators were allowed. And after the Williamses removed their masks and began ripping serves and groundstrokes in the summer heat, their often brilliant efforts were greeted with near silence — just scattered applause from the team members and the officials sitting courtside at this lower-tier WTA event in the suburbs of Lexington, Ky.

It looked, at first glance, more like a practice match, the kind the sisters must have played so often in private through the decades, but that was not what the way Venus, 40, and Serena, 38, saw it.

“A real match with real points and real consequences,” Venus said.

It was also a far better match than their most recent meeting: a 6-1, 6-2 Serena rout in the third round of the 2018 United States Open.

It was intense from the start on Thursday as the ninth-ranked Serena and the 67th-ranked Venus exchanged a series of high-velocity strokes on the opening point before Serena finished it with a backhand winner.

“It definitely felt more relaxed than in the stadium at Wimbledon or at the U.S. Open,” Serena said. “It’s still not like the practice courts’ quiet, but it’s never easy, never easy.”

Even when the Williams’ duels have been lopsided, they have taken an emotional toll on the siblings, who remain very close. But they have learned to compartmentalize and even to relish the challenge of playing the champion to whom they can best relate.

Serena jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but Venus quickly found her range and reeled off five straight games on her way to winning the first set.

This was the first official tournament in more than five months for both sisters because of the hiatus forced by the coronavirus. They were even in quarantine together for a stretch in Florida. But while Serena remained at home with her husband, Alexis Ohanian, and their 2-year-old daughter, Olympia, Venus sought out competition by taking part in World Team Tennis at the Greenbrier resort in West Virginia for nearly three weeks.

Venus did not excel there, but she looked much sharper at this tour event, the first in North America since the pandemic. She overwhelmed Victoria Azarenka, a former No. 1, in the first round, displaying a revamped service motion with a wider stance that is helping her generate more consistent pace and penetration.

“Less of a hitch in the middle,” said Pam Shriver, an ESPN analyst and a former U.S. Open singles finalist. “It’s a quicker, simpler action that feels more repeatable. The second serve sometimes reverts back with poor racket-head speed.”

Venus and her new coach, Eric Hechtman, had clearly used the break to make some adjustments to her forehand as well, and against Serena, who has won the majority of their matches through the years, Venus consistently positioned herself farther behind the baseline than usual to give herself more time to react. Even from that distance, she was often able to take the initiative and move her sister from corner to corner.

“We don’t talk a ton about what she does,” Serena said. “At the end of the day she’s a competitor, and we always play each other. But I’ve been to a ton of her practices, just as a spectator, and I saw the changes they made. And I think they are great changes.”

Double faults were still an issue, however, and Venus finished with 11. As the match wore on in the humid, 90-degree conditions, Serena began to attack Venus’s second serve more effectively, pummeling return winners.

But the margin on Thursday was ultimately very thin, with Serena rallying from 2-4 down in the third set and only taking control for good by breaking Venus’s serve at 4-4 with a bold backhand winner on the move.

When the sisters met at the net, there was no handshake or hug because of the new coronavirus rules, only a racket tap. But they did exchange a long, mutually weary look after the duel, which had lasted 2 hours 19 minutes.

“Just ran out of time; that’s kind of what it felt like,” said Venus, who trails in their series, 12-19. “Sometimes maybe went for a little too much, but probably better to do that than, I don’t know, get killed.”

Serena will face Shelby Rogers of the United States or Leylah Fernandez, a rising 17-year-old Canadian, in the third round on Friday. Serena said that for a change, her main goal was not to win this tournament.

“I honestly didn’t come here to win, for the first time in my career,” she said. “I just came here to get some matches and see what happens. I haven’t had this much time off since the baby. ”

She is preparing above all for the United States Open, which begins on Aug. 31 and where she will continue to chase a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title.

Serena will not be facing a full-strength field in New York. No. 1 Ashleigh Barty has withdrawn, and on Thursday, the reigning champion, Bianca Andreescu, the 20-year-old Canadian who upset Serena in last year’s U.S. Open final, announced that she was withdrawing as well. Rafael Nadal, the reigning men’s singles champion, also will not defend his title, but the men’s field got a major boost on Thursday when No. 1 Novak Djokovic confirmed that he would play in the U.S. Open and in the Western & Southern Open, which will precede it at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Andreescu has not competed since last October because of a knee injury. That appears to be resolved, but a recent foot injury has led her to delay her return again after initially announcing last month that she would play in the U.S. Open. She and her team believe that coming back on clay in Europe next month will be easier on her body than pushing to return in New York on hardcourts.

“She’ll do well and when she’s ready, and she’s smart enough to play not injured,” Serena said.