The Williams sisters are back in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam, and neither one is there just to watch. Venus Williams continued her impressive career resurgence at the Australian Open with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 win over sixth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska on Monday night, reaching the last eight at a major for the first time since the 2010 U.S. Open. Younger sister, Serena Williams, was supporting her and cheering for her from the stands at Rod Laver Arena, just hours after she had to dig deep for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback win over Garbine Muguruza on the same court. The sisters haven’t both advanced this far at a major since Serena won Wimbledon in 2010, their careers seemingly veering off at opposite trajectories. Serena has won five Grand Slam titles in the interim, lifting her tally to 18, while seven-time major winner Venus has laboured for years since being diagnosed in 2011 with Sjogren’s syndrome, which causes fatigue and inflammation. She’d only been beyond the third round once at a Grand Slam event since the start of 2011, and many thought she’d never return to the last eight. Even so, she’s not getting too excited four wins into a tournament.
“I guess from the outside looking in, I guess it could look like that,” the seven-time major winner said. “But for me I’m just really focused and poised right now. I feel like I’ve been here before, so it’s not like I’m jumping up and down for joy, ‘Oh, shoot, what is this? I’ve never done this.’
“Yes, I’ve done this. This is what I’m always going into each tournament thinking I want to do. Now is my moment and I want to keep this moment going.”
“I had to play the best match of the tournament or else I was going to be out,” said Serena, who next faces Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova. “She was just hitting winners like left and right. Every shot I hit, she basically hit a winner on. So I had to change my approach.”
“I’m just really excited. It’s a huge opportunity for me,” she said.
“I think Venus has helped the sport, especially the women’s side with equal prize money. She was a huge part of that. Just watching her is inspirational.
“She’s had her health battles but she loves tennis. She’s still out there and she’s doing it remarkably well. I hope I can be someone similar to that.”
Serena Williams vs Garbine Muguruza, 26/01/2015, 02:50 GMT, Match Center
Venus Williams vs Agnieszka Radwanska, 26/01/2015, 08:25 GMT, Match Center
Australian Open: Williams sisters into quarter-finals
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