To put things in perspective -- Serena had more errors in this match. She had 22 unforced errors to her sister’s 18. Three double faults to zero. But Venus was left grimacing after each of her errors because she had to be flawless to beat Serena on this night.
So watch out, U.S. Open field. Serena is certainly back. Not sure she every really went away. She just took a break.
Thanks for following along here tonight. Keep following us through the next nine days.
Serena Williams wins 6-1, 6-2
It’s easy to take Serena Williams for granted. But if any other tennis player had done this to Venus Williams, we’d be hailing her as the Next Big Thing. She lets the final game get to 30-30 on her second double fault, then hits her ninth ace.
Match point ... another double fault! She has only lost four points on her first serve to this point, but she has three doubles.
And another ace. Another match point. And another serve that take Venus a mile off center and a routine winner to seal it.
In fairness to Venus ...
Person to me just now: “how many majors has Serena won?”
— Matt Dowell (@TheMattDowell) September 1, 2018
Me: “23.”
“How many has Venus won?”
“7.”
“Oh, so Venus isn’t that good”
Me: #VenusSerena30 #USOpen pic.twitter.com/oPe5mTk8pr
Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid are at tonight’s #USOpen match between Serena Williams and Venus Williams. Loud cheer when they were shown on the Arthur Ashe Stadium Jumbotron.
— Stanley Kay (@citizen_kay) September 1, 2018
Second set: *Serena 6-1 5-2 Venus (*denotes next server)
Slightly better. Venus sprints out to 30-0. Then a forehand is just barely long. Then another. Venus has had so many shots just an inch wide or long.
But Venus isn’t done. A good backhand winner makes it 40-30.
Serena simply conjures winners out of nothing. An uneventful rally, and then Serena puts a backhand straight down the court where Venus can’t get it.
Venus gets another game point, though, straining to keep the ball in play and dropping it just over the net. Serena was approaching the net but got too close and hit into it.
Another error. Another deuce. Another Venus advantage -- can she at LEAST get a second game here?
Yes she can, with her first ace of the game. That’s good. The bad? Serena is serving for the match.
Second set: Serena 6-1 5-1 Venus* (*denotes next server)
A pretty backhand winner puts Venus up 0-15. Then Venus can barely get her racket to Serena’s second serve. Then an ace. Then another. Nearly another, but it’s barely wide. Serena hits long to give Venus a lifeline at 40-30, then pounds her first serve into the net. The second serve is returnable, and Serena hits long for deuce. It’s now or never for Venus.
Serena votes for “never.” Her first serve forces Venus to sprawl, and she easily puts the ball back in an acre of space. Another point, and the rout continues.
Some stats during the break ...
Venus has won just 42% of the points on her first serve. Then a respectable 47% of her second. Serena is 20-for-23 (87%) on her first serve, five of them aces.
Winners now: 25-11 in Serena’s favor.
Second set: *Serena 6-1 4-1 Venus (*denotes next server)
Serena wins the first with a backhand return that leaves Venus frozen. Off the next return, Venus hits wide. Venus goes offspeed on the next serve, Serena easily copes and hits to Venus’ backhand, Venus returns, and Serena calmly sends a winner back to the backhand. Then Serena paints the line. A break at love.
Second set: Serena 6-1 3-1 Venus* (*denotes next server)
Ace. Venus hits wide and long. Venus returns into the net, but it’s a foot fault -- and a double fault, the first of the match. Then a routine serve-return-winner for 40-15. Venus can’t cope with the next serve, and that was quick, again.
Second set: *Serena 6-1 2-1 Venus (*denotes next server)
The skill is there. Venus is hitting some marvelous shots. But then Serena just hits with overwhelming power. This one goes to 30-30. Serena gets break point, but Venus gets to deuce as Serena hits one wildly wide.
Then Venus hits another one into the net, and again, she looks frustrated. Then finally, Venus wins one at the net. Another deuce.
Serena with the error, into the net. Advantage Venus. Can she at least hold and stop the streak? Yes! She comes up to the net and paints the line. Game on?
Second set: Serena 6-1 2-0 Venus* (*denotes next server)
More errors, apparently, as I dig into ESPN’s app. Venus gets it to 30-30, but as I get the feed for this match, Venus deposits another shot into the next and hangs her head.
Then a terrific winner sends it to deuce, as Serena creeps up to the net and Venus makes her pay. Then it’s Serena’s turn to falter, and Venus gets a break point, waking up the crowd in the process. A turning point?
Almost! Venus returns everything Serena throws at her. Serena comes to the net again. Venus blasts it past here but just wide. That would’ve been huge.
Serena gets to game point. Nearly an ace on her first serve, but it’s a fault. Venus fights off a couple of shots and then pushes Serena into an error. Deuce.
But Serena easily reclaims the advantage. Then Venus puts a shot an inch wide. So unlucky, and that was the best game of the match so far, but the scoreboard looks bleak for the older sister.
Second set: *Serena 6-1 1-0 Venus (*denotes next server)
ESPN thinks so little of the action that it just ditched the Williams sisters to catch the first-set tiebreak between Raonic and Wawrinka. StatTracker tells us Venus lost the first two points on unforced errors, but she comes back to 30-40, only to hit another unforced error into the net.
First-set stats
Aces: Serena 4-0
Winners: Serena 15-6
Unforced errors: Serena 10-7
The worst stat for Venus -- she won only four points on Serena’s serve.
Serena wins the first set 6-1
Boom, boom, boom, boom, and Serena wins the first set at love. All winners and aces this time, and this is a rout.
First set: *Serena 5-1 Venus (*denotes next server)
Venus stomps out with a vengeance, hitting with a ton of power but not much accuracy. Two shots go long, as she’s down 0-30. Then Serena hits one long. Another error, and it’s 30-all. Then Venus fools Serena with a backhand for 40-30 and caps a rally with a forehand ... no, it’s just wide. Deuce.
Her next serve is crafty -- an offspeed offering on her first serve that Serena hits into the net. But another unforced error, and we’re back to deuce.
Serena hits long. Advantage Venus. Venus hits into the net. Deuce. That’s six straight unforced errors.
Serena makes it seven, but at least this was a longer rally testing both players. Advantage Venus. Short rally, and Venus hits just long. Deuce.
Finally, a winner, and it’s Serena pouncing on a second serve for break point. Venus again misses her first serve, but this time Serena can’t convert.
With the crowd still strangely silent, Serena hits another vicious return to get another break point. And it’s an odd one -- a Serena backhand hits right at the top of the net, forcing Venus to scramble forward. Then Venus hits it straight to Serena, who calmly deposits it past her sister’s outstretched racket to break.
First set: Serena 4-1 Venus* (*denotes next server)
Routine points, polite applause. This is not what we were hoping to see.
Then Venus makes it interesting, hitting a forehand winner that barely clears the net and barely finds the line. 30-15. Then Serena hits a winner and an ace, and it’s all routine again.
First set: *Serena 3-1 Venus (*denotes next server)
Serena moved pretty well on the first point, a decent rally that Serena finishes with a strong angled forehand. Venus equalizes as Serena shanks a routine return wide of the doubles court, then puts in a powerful forehand of her own for 30-15. Venus’ next serve is huge, and Serena barely puts it back in play, but Venus’ volley goes wide!
On the next point, Venus is the one struggling to return, and Serena nearly runs into the net post but easily volleys a winner.
Venus puts the ball in the net on the next point, and we have a break.
The trainer is putting tape on Serena’s right ankle. And more. And more. How in the world will she move?
First set: Serena 2-1 Venus* (*denotes next server)
Venus keeps up the momentum with a spectacular corner-painting return, but Serena gets the power back on her next two serves. She forces Venus to scramble and hit long for 40-15. Then an unforced error keeps Venus in it, but Serena holds and will get a chance to see the trainer as we take a break.
First set: *Serena 1-1 Venus (*denotes next server)
Serena runs Venus from side to side on the first point and wins it. But Venus rips a powerful backhand for 15-15.
The next point seems unfair. Venus puts some awkward spin on a shot and comes to the net. Serena lobs one up to the stratosphere, and it bounces gently a few feet short of the line. She wins the next point, too, and she has two break points.
But Venus wrong-foots Serena on the next point, and Serena comes up favoring an ankle. The therapist will be out, but not yet. Venus is almost too kind on the next one, hitting several shots straight at Serena, but then Serena puts one in the net for deuce.
Venus overwhelms Serena on the next serve, then wins a short rally to level the score.
Updated
First set: Serena 1-0 Venus* (*denotes next server)
Serena holds up after tossing the ball for her first serve, perhaps distracted by a noise from the crowd. Then she uncorks one that Venus can only parry into the net. Venus is more competitive on the second point and wins the third, but Serena’s mastery is evident on the fourth -- Venus hits a strong crosscourt return, and Serena blasts it back across the court for 40-15. Then an unreturnable second serve, and that was quick.
Updated
Serena will serve ...
Meanwhile, Isner drops the second-set tiebreaker.
ESPN’s Cliff Drysdale just said “sister” with roughly the same inflection as Darth Vader saying it with the realization that Leia and Luke (and Vader) were related.
Nadal-Khachanov ended an hour ago. Just saying.
ESPN is treating us to pre-match interviews with each sister. Their mouths said words, but their expressions said, “Can I please just get out there and play tennis now?”
I made some progress on Last Train to Memphis. Not used to playing blues licks so low on the neck, but I’ll get it.
I figure I have enough time left to teach myself how to play Last Train to Memphis on guitar. What’s everyone else doing?
John Isner has 17 aces but is 0-for-5 on break points. He’s serving to send the second set to a tiebreaker, same as the first.
We’re maybe 10 minutes away from Venus vs. Serena.
They have just opened the gates to Arthur Ashe Stadium. If Nadal had gone to a fifth set, we’re be here until midnight.
The comeback sisters ...
Each Williams sister occasionally goes away for a while, by choice or out of necessity. And yet they keep coming back.
Serena has injury problems in the mid-2000s, then again at the end of the decade. She won the 2017 Australian Open -- beating Venus in the final -- then revealed she was pregnant. She took more time off, which explains why she’s seeded 17th here.
Venus’ career seemed all but over earlier this decade when she was diagnosed with the autoimmune disorder Sjögren’s Syndrome. She went four years without reaching the quarterfinals of a major. Then she worked her way back to make a few good runs and reach the final at the Australian Open and Wimbledon last year.
So who’s going to count out tonight’s winner for the rest of this tournament?
And in case you didn’t know, Serena is something of a fashion icon.
Tennis officials criticized Serena Williams for her clothing, so she rocked her U.S. Open comeback match wearing a tutu. pic.twitter.com/0aTyRWJ9m7
— AJ+ (@ajplus) August 30, 2018
Yeah, we’re nowhere near getting started here. How is everyone? Anyone watching John Isner? What’s the over/under on that one?
The winner will face ... Kaia Kanepi of Estonia. If you don’t recognize that name, here’s the most important thing to know about her: She beat No. 1 seed Simona Halep in the first round. It wasn’t close: 6-2, 6-4.
The 33-year-old has reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals twice.
And Nadal is done. A mere four hours and 20 minutes. I could drive to my favorite ice cream place on the Jersey Shore in that time. OK, not on Fridays.
Raid the fridge now, and then we’re off.
It appears Rafael Nadal and Karen Khachanov are not yet willing to cede the stage at Arthur Ashe Stadium. They’re in a fourth-set tiebreaker. If Nadal wins, it’s over. If Khachanov wins, I’m going back out to the pool party.
Follow it here, won’t you?
In 1712, Peter the Great moved the capital of Russia from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
Venus Williams once toured the city of St. Petersburg.
Serena Williams’ head-to-head record against Venus is ... 17-12.
Coincidence?
OK, yeah, probably. But it’s just as far-fetched as most attempts to find trends or overall conclusions from this sibling rivalry.
Sure -- Serena has the upper hand, especially since the early days in which her elder sister took five of the first six matches between the two. She claimed supremacy with the first “Serena Slam” in 2002-03, defeating Venus in four major finals in a row.
But if you discount the players Serena faced early in her career (Jennifer Capriati, Martina Hingis, Justine Henin), Venus has been by far Serena’s toughest career opponent. Sure, Angelique Kerber has won two Grand Slam finals against Serena -- the only woman other than Venus to so -- but Serena is still 6-3 against her, a higher win percentage than she has against Venus.
And every match is different. Some have been dreadfully dull and predictable. Others have been fiercely competitive.
Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s a recap of all the action so far on day five in Flushing Meadows.
