Serena and Venus Williams pulled double-duty on Friday, winning two matches apiece at the rain-disrupted WTA claycourt event in Charleston to book a semi-final showdown.
Both played twice on Friday, after a lengthy rain delay on Thursday saw four third-round matches postponed.
Top seed and defending champion Serena defeated American Mallory Burdette 6-4, 6-2 in the third round, then returned to beat sixth-seeded Czech Lucie Safarova 6-4, 6-1 in a rematch of last year’s final.
Serena rallied from a 2-4 deficit in the opening set, winning the last four games to finish off the frame and giving Safarova little opportunity in the second.
Venus Williams, seeded fifth, beat American Varvara Lepchenko 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals, and followed up with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Madison Keys.
Serena said she was motivated by seeing her older sister come through both of her matches.
“I figured if she can win two matches, I have no excuse not to win my two matches,” Serena said. “It’s actually not that bad to play two matches in one day — it’s not ideal, but I play doubles all the time, and so I looked at it like, ‘OK, I play singles and I play with Venus in doubles the same day.’ So really that’s how I looked at it.”
The Williams sisters have not played each other since Serena triumphed over Venus in the final of the WTA Tour Championships at Doha in 2009. They last met on clay in the 2002 French Open final won by Serena, who leads their career head-to-head 13-10.
“It definitely feels like a long time ago, but Venus is the toughest opponent I’ve ever played,” Serena said. “I think she’s beaten me the most out of any player. I know her game and she knows my game. I think it’ll be a great match tomorrow.”
Ninth-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic also secured a semi-final berth, with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Canadian Eugenie Bouchard.
Jankovic next faces Switzerland’s Stefanie Voegele, who beat second-seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani on Monday wobbled through a 28-pitch first inning at home against the San Diego Padres in his first appearance on the mound since August 2023. Scheduled to throw as many as two innings, Ohtani went a single frame while allowing one run on two hits. He did not issue a walk nor strike out a batter. “Not quite happy with the results overall, but the takeaway for me is that I feel good enough to be able to make the next outing,” Ohtani said of his pitching performance. Ohtani still wound up with a positive impact
RSS