Serena Must Beat Sister Venus To Keep Calendar Slam On Track!

What an enviable and unenviable spot Venus Williams finds herself in.

On Tuesday night, she will vie for a spot in the semifinals of the U.S. Open tennis championship. She will want very much to win. Good for her.

 
Her opponent is playing for even higher stakes – potentially her fourth major win of the season, a calendar Grand Slam. Her name is Serena Williams and she is Venus’ younger sister, by 15 months.

Think of it as the bad luck of the draw. That’s the unenviable part.

“No one is out to be a spoiler,” Venus Williams said, “but at the same time, you’re focused on winning your match, even though the circumstances are really much different.”

The two met at Wimbledon in July, with Serena winning in straight sets. This will be the fifth time they’ve played in the U.S. Open – they’re tied at 2-2 – and the 27th time overall (Serena leads 15-11).

 
Serena has won 21 majors, Venus seven. Together they have won 13 Grand Slam doubles events. If Serena beats Venus and wins two more matches, she earns the first calendar year Grand Slam in 27 years. Steffi Graf was the last to do it.

Serena and Venus are great competitors and great players. They’ve been dominant forces in tennis, separately and together. And when Tuesday night’s match concludes, they will still be sisters.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .