MONTREAL — Venus beat Serena in an all-Williams semifinal in the Rogers Cup. ADVERTISING MONTREAL — Venus beat Serena in an all-Williams semifinal in the Rogers Cup. Venus topped Serena 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-3 on Saturday in the hard-court event
MONTREAL — Venus beat Serena in an all-Williams semifinal in the Rogers Cup.
Venus topped Serena 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-3 on Saturday in the hard-court event for her first victory over her sister since 2009 in Dubai.
“I think for both of us, what’s so unique about the situation is that we’re both very good players,” Venus said. “I think typically you may have some siblings, one is quite good, one is not as good so you kind of know what the result is. I think we both know when we walk out there, it’s not like you’re guaranteed a win. I think that’s what makes it challenging for both of us.”
The 32-year-old Serena, ranked No. 1 in the world for the 200th career week, leads the series 14-11 and had won the last five matches. The 34-year-old Venus, ranked 26th, ended her sister’s 14-match Rogers Cup winning streak that dated to wins at the 2011 and 2013 tournaments in Toronto. Serena skipped the 2012 event in Montreal.
“I don’t think I played a great game today,” Serena said. “Let’s just face it, I served well in the first set, but that was that.”
In the second semifinal, third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska beat Ekaterina Makarova 7-6 (1), 7-6 (3).
“I definitely don’t want to have a letdown and get out there and not play at least half as well,” Venus said about the final. “I don’t want to put any pressure on myself, but I want to go out there and perform just as well. It would mean a lot to me because I’ve been dreaming of winning a tournament at this level since I got back on tour.”
Venus won the last of her 45 titles in Dubai in February. She uses medication and rest to control Sjogren’s Syndrome, an auto-immune disease she was diagnosed with in 2011.
