Serena Williams and Venus Williams had to deal with some rough weather this week at the Family Circle Cup, but the delay due to rain didn't stop the sisters from advancing to the semifinals on Saturday with a slot in the championship round on the line after each won twice on the same day on Friday.
The sisters have not played each other since 2009 and it is perfect timing, as a documentary about both Venus and Serena was released on iTunes this week and has been a big hit. The two siblings played and won twice on Friday, one day after rain delayed their matches, and Serena took her 13th match in a row after putting down Lucie Safarova 6-4, 6-1, which came after a win over Mallory Burdette, which followed Venus's triumph over Varvara Lepchenko in three sets and then over Madison Keys later in the day. The Williams played a lot of tennis in one day, but after it was all over they were left standing.
The two played with each other at the London Olympics last year where they won the gold medal, but they have not faced off against each other in a tournament since 2009 in Qatar, with Serena besting her sister head to head with a 13-10 record. It was the first time the sisters played two matches on the same day in the same tournament and now they will have to play another match right away as Saturday's semifinals get underway, with Jelena Jankovic advancing against Caroline Wozniacki or Stephanie Voegele.
The match between the Williams sisters is the 24th time they have faced each other and Venus might be a bit more winded than Serena, as she had to deal with a third set in two of her three matches before holding off Keys in the second set after taking a lead. Clay has never been the most forgiving surface for Venus and last year was her first time at the tournament on the surface after two years away while dealing with medical issues.
Serena was dominant through her matches and frequently got her serve over 100 mph, putting Burdette on the defensive and Williams powered through to close out the set before she could come back. The two sisters have had a long road since last playing, as both dealt with serious medical issues that kept them out for long periods of time. That period was documented in the new film and now the two sisters will face off again.