LEXINGTON, Ky. -- There was zero interaction between the two, not even a furtive glance, when Venus Williams walked past Serena Williams in the Top Seed Open's warmup area Thursday before their 31st matchup as pros.
Moments later, both headed to the court, each wearing a face covering, and they were greeted not by the roars of an appreciative audience but basically by silence. Zero fanfare because there are zero fans at the first tennis tournament in the U.S. since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
When the match began, everything seemed normal: hard hitting, big serving. Serena came back and won the last four games to beat her older sister, Venus, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a back-and-forth, second-round match -- 22½ years after the first between the two.
"It definitely felt more relaxed than the stadium at Wimbledon or at the U.S. Open," said Serena, who now leads the series 19-12. "But it still is not like the practice courts."
When it ended, the siblings simply tapped rackets. No handshake or hug, owing to rules about social distancing.
In the third set, Venus went ahead 4-2 thanks to a three-game run. Serena came back, earning the break for a 5-4 lead with the help of one of Venus' 11 double-faults. She closed it with a running, down-the-line backhand from wide of the doubles alley that capped a 12-stroke exchange.
"I just ran out of time there, is kind of what it felt like," Venus said.
