'She's the toughest opponent I've ever played in my life': Serena Williams is gracious in historic US Open clash victory against sister Venus... and now just two games away from the Calendar Grand Slam
- Serena now heads to the quarter-finals after beating Venus 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
- Serena will now face Roberta Vinci in the semifinals
- Siblings played each other for the 27th time at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday night
- Serena ousted fellow American Madison Keys 6-3 6-3 and Venus thrashed Estonian qualifier Anett Kontaveit 6-2 6-1
- Serena previously won eight of the pair's last 10 major battles
- She first beat her big sister in 2003 by winning the grand slam season-opening Australian Open
- Among the celebrities in the crowd were Oprah Winfrey, Donald Trump, Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner
World No. 1 Serena Williams continued her path to a calendar-year grand slam title after beating out big sister Venus Williams tonight in a compelling U.S. Open quarter-final.
With sports pundits commenting it was the strongest game from Venus in recent memory - breaking her sister twice in the second set - Serena recovered her strength and came out on top 6-2, 1-6, 6-3.
'It's a really great moment,' Serena said during an on-court interview with ESPN's Mary Joe Fernandez.
'She's the toughest opponent I've ever played in my life and the best person I know. It's going against your best friend and at the same time going against the greatest competitior in women's tennis.'
'When I'm playing her I don't think of her as my sister. When you're in the moment you don't really think about it. We trained all our lives to play on this court and on this stage in front of you guys. It's a great honor.'
'She came out hitting so hard. I was on defense a lot because she has so much power. It wasn't really easy today at all.'
'This is a big moment for both Venus and I. We both had a chance to be in the semi-finals. It's a grand slam. We're very competitive. We're just trying to give each other a great match.'
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She did it: Serena Williams reacts after defeating her sister and compatriot Venus Williams in their quarterfinals match at the U.S. Open
Celebration: At nearly 34 Serena is now two matches away from becoming the fourth woman to do the calendar year Grand Slam
Venus Williams hugs sister Serena Williams after their match on day nine of the 2015 U.S. Open tennis tournament on Tuesday
Serena Williamshugs Venus Williams after winning their quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament on Tuesday in New York
Historic match: Serena Williams, 33 (right), is three wins away from recording the first calendar Grand Slam in 27 years and cementing her place as the greatest women's tennis player of all time, but first she must beat sister Venus, 35, (left), tonight in their 27th career meeting
Serena Williams returns a shot to sister Venus during a quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament on Tuesday night
Look like a champ in Serena's Nike tennis dress
Serena Williams is thisclose to making history with a calendar year grand slam after beating her older sister, Venus, in one of the most anticipated matches of the US Open.
And while we were mesmerized her 122 mph serve, we also couldn't help but notice her Nike tennis dress. Complete with a pink leopard print panel in front and a strappy cutout back, this may be the most stylish on court ensemble we've seen on the brunette beauty thus far.
Emulate Serena's look with her sporty frock for just $80 (click right to buy now). Team with some sneakers and a headband to really capture her essence.
Still need more choices? Browse the carousel below for styles from Monreal London, New Balance and more - all budgets covered.
Venus, whose last slam triumph came at the 2008 Wimbledon, said she thought she was playing well enough to win her third U.S. Open title
Serena Williams returns a shot to sister and compatriot Venus Williams during their quarterfinals match at the U.S. Open Championships
Serena Williams of the United States reacts against Venus Williams during their Women's Singles Quarterfinals match on Day Nine of the 2015 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 8, 2015
Celeb support: Oprah Winfrey, left, and Gayle King watch a quarterfinal match between Serena Williams and Venus Williams
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his wife Melania watch a quarterfinal match between Serena and Venus Williams
Donald Trump shakes hands with US teennis great John McEnroe as Venus Williams plays Serena Williams during their quarterfinals match
Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner in the stands of Venus Williams and Serena Williams quarterfinals match on the ninth day of the 2015 US Open Tennis Championship
Serena Williams reacts after losing a point to Venus Williams during a quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament
Gearing up: Serena and Venus Williams pose for a photo before playing each other in a quarterfinal match at the U.S. Open
Historic match: Serena Williams, 33 (right), is two wins away from recording the first calendar Grand Slam in 27 years and cementing her place as the greatest women's tennis player of all time, after beating sister Venus, 35, (left), tonight in their 27th career meeting
After wins at the Australian, French and Wimbledon, Serena is now just two victories from joining the exclusive club whose short membership list includes Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court and Steffi Graf.
The last player to accomplish a calendar-year Grand Slam was Graf in 1988.
Nabbing the title would cement Serena's place as the greatest women's tennis player of all time.
'I think people love to see history being made,' said Venus following her fourth-round win over Estonian Anett Kontaveit on Sunday.
Certainly there are no secrets between the sisters who will have been playing each other since they were first handed rackets growing up in the hard-scrabble Los Angeles Compton neighborhood and began an unlikely and inspiring journey to the top of their sport.
As professionals they had - before Tuesday - clashed 26 times with Serena holding the advantage 15-11.
Serena won their last meeting in July at Wimbledon while Venus came out on top when they last met on a hardcourt last August in Montreal.
In grand slams Serena also holds the advantage 8-5 and 6-2 when they have met in the final.
Serena maintains Venus has always been her toughest opponent and with 11 losses to older sister, nobody has beaten the 21-times grand slam winner more.
Retired Jennifer Captriati comes the next closet with a 10-7 record while Justine Henin (8-6) and Martina Hingis (7-6) each had six wins.
Only a handful of players can claim more than one career win over the muscular American and only two, Belinda Bencic and Petra Kvitova, have beaten her this season.
'I mean, I'm playing, for me, the best player (Venus) in the tournament and that's never easy,' said Serena, 33, who is two years younger than Venus.
'She's beaten me so many times. I've taken a lot of losses off of her -- more than anybody.
'She's a player that knows how to win, knows how to beat me, and knows my weaknesses better than anyone ... the only player in the draw I don't want to play, not only because she's my sister, but for me she's the best player.'
It was 18 years ago that Venus reached the U.S. Open final for the first time but Serena lifted the family's first grand slam trophy when she won two years later at Flushing Meadows.
While Serena has long looked up to big sister and credits her with much of her own success she long ago stepped out from Venus's shadow to become one of the sport's all-time greats.
Whenever the Williams sisters clash on court it is a major tennis event and Tuesday's meeting is ripe with drama and suspense.
Two of the sport's dominant figures, the sisters long ago accepted the inevitable that they would stand across the net blocking each other's path to a title.
The matches have not always produced riveting tennis but over the years the angst has eased, at least making the contests more enjoyable for the sisters if not the fans.
'Nowadays, I would agree, I think it's more fun than it used to be,' said Serena following her fourth-round win over Madison Keys. 'We really relish the opportunity. We're both happy to still be involved in getting so far.
'And it's still super intense. She's doing well and she wants to win this. So do I. It's not easy.
'I think it's been an amazing rivalry. I think it's meant a lot. We've done a lot for the sport. I think, you know, hopefully it can continue as long as we play.'
Kim Kardashian arrives to watch a quarterfinal match between Serena Williams and Venus Williams at the U.S. Open tennis tournament
Kim Kardashian arrives to watch a quarterfinal match between Serena Williams and Venus Williams at the U.S. Open tennis tournament
Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid react during pre-match festivities for a quarterfinal match between Serena Williams and Venus Williams
Kendall Jenner and model Gigi Hadi watch the quarterfinal match between Serena Williams and Venus Williams at the U.S. Open
Singer Joe Jonas, model Gigi Hadid andtelevision personality Kendall Jenner in the stands before the start of Venus Williams and Serena Williams quarterfinals match on the ninth day of the 2015 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center
Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid watch as Venus Williams of the US plays Serena Williams during their quarterfinals match
Donald Trump attends the quarterfinals women's singles match between Serena Williams and Venus Williams at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
Rapper Nas attends the Women's Singles Quarterfinals match between Serena Williams and Venus Williams
Tennis legend Billie Jean King (center) and USTA President Katrina Adams (right) attend the Women's Singles Quarterfinals match between Serena Williams and Venus Williams
A huge crowd of people wait outside the gates of Arthur Ashe for the night session with Venus and Serena Williams playing each other
Venus and Serena remain best of friends off the court, sharing a love for fashion and other interests while building separate lives.
'I feel like Venus and I have definitely proven that you can be friends and you can be sisters, you can be enemies on the court, and you can be friends and sisters off the court,' summed up Serena.
Serena first emerged unexpectedly, winning the U.S. Open singles title in 1999 at the age of 17, launching a magnificent career that has added 20 more slam singles crowns.
Featuring the biggest serve in women's tennis, Serena vaulted to dominance.
In 2003 she completed her first 'Serena Slam' by winning the grand slam season-opening Australian Open after she swept the last three titles of 2002 -- all against Venus in the finals -- to hold all four singles crowns at the same time.
There were lows as well in her majestic career, brought on by her temper and health issues.
In 2009 Serena lost a U.S. Open semi-final to Kim Clijsters after screaming a profanity-laced tirade at a female line judge who called a foot fault on her.
Serena then threatened to shove a tennis ball down the official's throat.
Docked a point on match point, she handed victory to the Belgian and was fined $175,000.
Health issues also held her back.
Serena missed nearly a year due to a severe cut to her foot following her 2010 Wimbledon victory and a subsequent clot in her lung.
But Serena worked her way back, rededicating herself to the game.
After taking on Patrick Mouratoglou as her coach just before Wimbledon in 2012, she has gone on an extraordinary tear, dominating the game at the advanced tennis age of 33.
In the past three-plus years, Serena has won eight grand slams and is riding a magical 2015 season in which she has registered a 52-2 record, three wins away from a career-crowing calendar-year Grand Slam.
Serena Williams of the US (left) shakes hands with her sister Venus Williams during their women's doubles match against Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci of Italy on the nineth day of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 22, 2013
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