Williams sisters rivalry

Venus Williams and Serena Williams (born June 17, 1980, and September 26, 1981, respectively) are professional tennis players and sisters who have faced off 28 times in professional tournaments, most recently in the final of the 2017 Australian Open on 28 January 2017, where Serena claimed a history-making 23rd grand slam. Serena leads their rivalry 17–11.

Both Williams sisters have been ranked World No. 1: Venus for a total of 11 weeks, beginning in February 2002; Serena for a total of 316 weeks, beginning in July 2002.

The Williams sisters are the only two women during the open era to play each other in four consecutive Grand Slam finals: from the 2002 French Open to the 2003 Australian Open. Serena won all four of these finals.

Venus has won 49 singles titles over the course of her career, and Serena has won 72.

Although the rivalry is long established, and is very fierce in competition, the two sisters remain personally very close. They have won 22 titles when playing doubles together, including 14 Grand Slam titles and 3 Olympic gold medals.

Serena and Venus Williams played their first professional match against each other in the second round of the 1998 Australian Open. Venus won 7–6(4), 6–1. The match was described as "subpar". They played again in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open, the first clay court tournament of Serena's career, which Venus won 6–4, 6–2. Together they won two doubles titles.

Their next match was almost a year later in the final of the 1999 Lipton International Players Championships in Key Biscayne, Florida. Serena was coming off her first two tournament titles, but Venus won the match 6–1, 4–6, 6–4. The match was the first singles final between sisters on the WTA tour and was described by their father as a "bullfight". Serena won her first professional singles match against Venus later that year in the final of the Grand Slam Cup. Serena was coming off her first Grand Slam championship at the US Open and defeated her elder sister, and defending champion, 6–1, 3–6, 6–3. Venus was the only top player up to this point that Serena had not yet defeated. Together, they won three doubles titles, two of them being majors; French Open & U.S Open.

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