Venus Williams Calls on Serena to Support at US Open

NEW YORK — Venus Williams has reached the US Open women’s doubles quarterfinals alongside partner Leylah Fernandez and is now urging her sister, Serena Williams, to come support them. The pair achieved this milestone after defeating the 12th-seeded duo of Ekaterina Alexandrova and Zhang Shuai with scores of 6-3, 6-4 in front of a packed crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium on September 1.

“She’s so happy for Leylah and I, and she’s given us advice,” Venus said regarding her sister’s support. “We just need her in the box. So, my message is, ‘Serena, you need to show up.'”

Williams and Fernandez, who entered the tournament with a wild-card entry, are currently 3-0 and have yet to lose a set. They will face top-seeded team of Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova on September 2.

“I have full confidence in Venus, and I hope she has full confidence in me during our match,” Fernandez expressed. “We’re just going out there, playing our game: Be offensive, aggressive and ready for the ball.”

Venus also highlighted that although Serena hasn’t played since the 2022 US Open, she has been cheering them on from home, acting as their ‘third coach’ for her two children. “I just got a video of my nieces watching the match and yelling my name,” Venus noted. “I feel like I’m getting quality time with them still, even though I’m not there.”

Should Serena decide to attend, Venus joked that it would be a dream come true. “We’d force her to hit, even though she doesn’t hit often,” Venus said. “It’s probably best she doesn’t come because we’d probably bully her.”

This marks the first time since 2017 that Venus has reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam event. Her return to the US Open comes after a 16-month hiatus due to health issues, and she remains focused on her performance rather than the final outcome.

“I didn’t win today, but I’m very proud of how I played,” Venus stated following her earlier singles match. “We literally took no days off. I haven’t done anything except train for three months as hard as I could,” she added, reflecting on her recovery from surgery for uterine fibroids.