Venus Williams earned a shot at a little family revenge by outlasting American compatriot Irina Falconi 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-2 to set up an intriguing US Open third round clash with Swiss teenager Belinda Bencic on Wednesday.
Venus will seek out a scouting report from little sister and world No 1 Serena, who has only lost two matches this season, one of those to the 18-year-old Swiss prospect in Toronto last month.
More significantly, Bencic, who rallied for a 5-7, 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 win over Japan’s Misaki Doi, stands in the way of a potential all-Williams quarter-final clash that would see Venus attempting to end Serena’s bid for the rare calendar-year grand slam.
“We always give each other advice, especially if one of us has played the other opponent recently,” said Venus, who played first US Open in 1997, the same year Bencic was born.
“So, yeah, we always are there for encouragement and advice. She’ll probably give me some pointers like tomorrow or Friday. She’s got pretty sage advice.”
Neither Bencic nor Venus impressed in their second round encounters.
Venus squandered two match points in the second set as Falconi forced a tiebreak which she easily won 7-2. But the two-time US Open champion showed her experience in the third, recovering to clinch a tense victory.
By contrast, Bencic’s nerves betrayed her as she unravelled in a second set meltdown that left her sobbing in frustration as Doi rallied from 5-2 down to force a tiebreak.
The 12th seeded Swiss would eventually gather her emotions and go on to take the match in the third set but her inexperience had been exposed.
“I was really mad. I was just so frustrated today,” explained Bencic. “I think we all have not-so-good days, but I was very frustrated for the line calls and the referee.
“I know I shouldn’t have behaved like that.
“For sure I know that but sometimes I just can’t control myself right now. I for sure have to be working on that, but I think I’m not the only one who would freak out like this.”
Having taken one Williams scalp, Bencic believes she is ready to take another.
“Obviously I never won against her yet,” Bencic said of Venus. “I played my first WTA match against her, which was a great experience.
“Now I really want to win. I feel like I can have a good plan when I go on the court.
“If I will feel good, I think it can be a very interesting match. I mean, of course, she’s a great player. She hits the ball very hard.
“It will be very difficult for me, but we will see.”
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE