KEY BISCAYNE, Fla., March 29 -- Big sis won for a change in the latest Williams family showdown, and little sis took it poorly.
Venus Williams ended a streak of six consecutive losses to Serena by winning, 6-1, 7-6 (10-8), Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Nasdaq-100 Open.
After Venus Williams, left, beat little sister Serena in the quarterfinals of the Nasdaq-100, the elder said she'll regain the top ranking.
(Wilfredo Lee - AP)
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Meeting for the first time since July 2003, the sisters produced the same tense, sloppy tennis that has marred the rivalry in the past. But there was plenty of effort and emotion.
When Serena lost the first five games, she took an angry swipe at the hardcourt and mangled her racket, prompting jeers from the stadium crowd.
"Her racket is actually fragile -- powerful but fragile," Venus said.
Then, when Venus smacked a cross-court winner for a 3-2 lead in the second set, she walked to her chair with a glare, her teeth gritted in determination, while Serena admonished herself and screamed a profanity.
"She's definitely a little more fiery than I am," Venus said. "I keep it a little more even-keel."
In the tiebreaker, Serena pushed a forehand into the net to fall behind 9-8, then flung her racket and buried her face in her hands. She sailed a backhand long on match point, and Venus raised her arms in jubilation.
"In the last matches Serena just always played better," Venus said. "She won them. I was happy at least that a Williams won."
The defeat ended a 21-match winning streak at Key Biscayne for third-seeded Serena, the three-time defending champion. Venus has also won the tournament three times.
"There was nothing I could do in the first set, but I had plenty of chances in the second," Serena said. "We should still be out there."
In the semifinals Thursday, eighth-seeded Venus will play No. 2-seeded Maria Sharapova.
Sharapova interrupted Justine Henin-Hardenne's comeback from a seven-month layoff by winning, 6-1, 6-7 (8-6), 6-2. Among those reaching the men's quarterfinals were top-ranked Roger Federer and six-time Key Biscayne champion Andre Agassi.
Williams met Williams for the first time since the 2003 Wimbledon final, and the latest chapter in their series produced the same awkward shotmaking as in the past.
But the surprising result might revive the rivalry, and it's a psychological breakthrough for Venus, who went into a tailspin after her last win over Serena for the 2001 U.S. Open title. Since that match, Serena has since won six major titles, beating Venus in the final five times.
After the win Tuesday, Venus said she's confident she'll regain the No. 1 ranking.
"For me its a given," she said. "I feel like it's a matter of time."
Federer was pushed to three sets for the second match in a row, but beat Mario Ancic, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Federer extended his winning streak to 19 matches and improved to 45-1 since the start of last year's U.S. Open.
Agassi endured a grueling first set and beat French Open champion Gaston Gaudio 7-6 (9-7), 6-2. Two Spaniards made the men's final eight. Rafael Nadal, an 18-year-old left-hander, beat No. 13-seeded Ivan Ljubicic 6-4, 6-7 (7-5), 6-3. Unseeded David Ferrer rallied past countryman Juan Carlos Ferrero, 6-7 (9-7), 6-3, 7-5.
No. 6 Tim Henman also won and will next play Federer.
