Serena outlasts Venus to move on to semifinals

With a powerful ace, Serena Williams capped her biggest win of the tournament.

She'll have to win two more in order to complete the calendar Grand Slam and tie Steffi Graf with 22 Grand Slam titles, but the atmosphere inside Arthur Ashe Stadium Tuesday night felt like a U.S. Open final.

Playing in front of a sell-out crowd, Serena outlasted older sister Venus in just under two hours, 6-2, 1-6, 6-2.

The quarterfinal match drew all of the attention deserved of what was, for at least a decade, sports’ greatest rivalry. The crowd inside seemed to be split. If anything, Venus was the favorite, possibly because fans seemed to know that this match would not define Serena's legacy in that same way that it could define Venus the second half of Venus's career.

During play, it was silent enough to hear the subway cars braking on the 7-track just outside the grounds.

The loudest cheers erupted when Oprah Winfrey and comedian Aziz Ansari appeared on the big screen. When Donald Trump’s face flashed across, the entire stadium finally seemed to be in agreement, booing louder than they’d cheered all night.

Serena earned her first break-point opportunity in the very first game, but failed to convert. She’d finally do so in the fifth game to take the 3-2 advantage, and again in the seventh, to lead 5-2. A quick hold, and she’d taken the first set. It looked like she'd cruise to a quick win. The sisters did not exchange so much as a glance during the changeover.

When Venus earned a break-point opportunity at 2-1 in the second set, the crowd roared its approval. Venus earned the break, her first of the night. Then she earned another. After playing so solidly in the first, Serena fell apart in the second.

But in the third, first-set Serena returned. A massive ace saved break-point at 2-0. It was soon 5-2. There were few spectacular points or memorable moments in this match. It was a routine Serena win, watched by more celebrities that Ashe has hosted in the past week combined. Venus owned one set, but Serena owned the night.

"It’s a really great moment. She’s the toughest person I’ve ever played in my life and the best person I know," Serena said in her on-court interview after the win. "It was really difficult today."

Serena will face Roberta Vinci in the semifinal. Vinci upset Kristina Mladenovic in three sets, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. She'd earned a place in the quarterfinal after Eugenie Bouchard withdrew from the tournament after sustaining a concussion. In 14 U.S. Open appearances, this is Vinci's first trip to the semi-final.