Serena Williams stands at the gate of tennis history and, again, the only impediment is Serena Williams.
If she can unlock any mental block and get out of her own way, Williams will become the first tennis player to win a calendar-year Grand Slam since 1988. She will tie Steffi Graf as champion of 22 Grand Slam tournaments, second-best in women's tennis behind Margaret Court's 24. All Williams needs two more victories at the U.S. Open in New York.
Williams faces Italy's Roberta Vinci in today's semifinal. If she doesn't get frazzled by the array of off-speed shots from the quiver of a doubles specialist, the match could be over in less time than it takes to bake a cake.
Williams overcame the closest thing to her mirror image when she defeated sister Venus 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 in the quarters on Wednesday in the 27th chapter of the on-court sibling rivalry that never lives up to the melodramatic hype because it can't. No match could ever encapsulate the wondrous family saga of the Williams sisters.
At least they both played at near peak form during stretches of this one, smashing winners and serving superbly. Serena retrieved her concentration from lost and found in the third set, but in the second Venus pounced on every error, although the outcome was never in doubt. Serena won for the seventh time in their past eight matches and rose to 16-11 overall against Venus.
"She's the toughest player I've ever played in my life, and the best person I know," Serena said. "So it's going against your best friend and at the same time for me going against the greatest competitor in women's tennis."
They attempted to play bloodlessly, sisters born 15 months apart, Venus on June 17, 1980 in Lynwood, Calif., Serena on Sept. 26, 1981 in Saginaw, Mich. Often inseparable, they still live together in Palm Beach Gardens.
When they compete against each other, they try to wring out emotion. Stone-faced and stone-hearted, that's how to blunt the tension of possibly derailing a sister's dreams.
A Venus victory would have ended Serena's pursuit of the Grand Slam steps from the finish line. Serena's victory ended Venus' chance at one more Grand Slam title as her career ebbs. Everyone who watched who has a sibling felt the discomfort and squirmed when Serena suppressed her typical exultation on a backhand winner that broke Venus' serve in the second game of the third set. She bent over as if to hide her clenched fist and let out a semi-roar. After the bad toss that preceded her match-winning ace, she called out meekly, "Sorry."
But soulless play doesn't win championships. Muhammad Ali would have outdueled any steel-chinned robot. When Venus and Serena embraced at the net -- a smiling Venus wrapping her arms around little sis and whispering in her ear while Serena appeared to hold back shedding tears on Venus' shoulder -- it was clear how much love and pride they felt for each other.
There was a sense that part of the history being made was in the concluding stage of Serena's most captivating rivalry.
Whoever thought they'd still be playing at ages 33 and 35? Not their father, Richard, who taught the girls to play at a gang-infested park in Compton, Calif., after he watched a tournament winner on TV collect a check for $30,000. Venus and Serena's combined prize money is $104 million and counting.
Richard intended for his "Cinderellas of the ghetto" to get rich, get out of the sport and become entrepreneurs by age 25. Their mother, Oracene Price, worried about their growing fame and preferred that they become Jehovah's Witnesses missionaries.
"To be a commentator, now that's a fool. I don't want my kids to be one-dimensional," Richard told me in 1997 when I spent a day with the Williamses at their house in Palm Beach County.
Eighteen years later, Serena is very close to cementing herself as the best ever. She relies on the advice of Billie Jean King, who told her that pressure is a privilege.
Venus, sweet-natured, has helped leaven the reputation of Serena, the diva, who can intimidate linesmen as well as opponents. Richard was right all along. He predicted that Serena, "the mean one," would be better than Venus.
Serena beat her big sister again. Now, only Serena can block Serena's way.
Sports on 09/11/2015