Serena wins battle of the sisters, progresses into US open semis

In the battle of the sisters, it was Serena who kept her cool to progress to the semi finals by beating Venus 6-2 1-6 6-3.

Serena’s dream of completing a calender gland slam was kept alive after she beat her sister and would now face Italy’s 43rd-ranked Roberta Vinci, who eliminated France’s 40th-ranked Kristina Mladenovic 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in thursday’s semi final.

Playing at a high level throughout, the sisters staged a classic at Arthur Ashe Stadium, which was jam-packed with fans and celebrities, including US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and TV mogul Oprah Winfrey.

“This is a big moment for Venus and I,” Serena said.

“Very competitive. We were just trying to give each other a great match.” Serena fired 35 winners with 22 unforced errors with 12 aces, the last coming on match point.

She’s the toughest player I’ve ever played in my life and the best person I know,” Serena said of Venus.

“It’s going against your best friend and the best competitor 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. For us it’s a really great honor.”

In the third set, Serena fired a backhand winner to break Venus, fought off a break point to hold for a 3-0 edge and held serve to the end of the 98-minute spectacle.

“Just holding serve in the third set was all I could do,” Serena said.

“She was blasting so hard. She had so much power. It wasn’t easy at all.”

Serena Williams is seeking to become the first winner of a calendar gland slam since Steffi Graf 27 years ago.