Australian Open 2017 Women's Finals: Williams vs. Williams Preview, Predictions
A sisterly showdown will decide the first Grand Slam of the 2017 season.
Serena and Venus Williams, two of tennis' most influential icons ever, will meet in a major final for the first time since Wimbledon 2009. As their careers went in different directions in recent years, it seemed unlikely they'd get another opportunity to battle on this kind of stage.
For six-time champion Serena, 35, this match presents great rewards. Deadlocked with Steffi Graf at 22 major titles, she can make Open Era history with a 23rd crown. A win would also move her past last year's champion Angelique Kerber for world No. 1.
Venus, 36, is the oldest woman to play for a Grand Slam singles title since Martina Navratilova reached the 1994 Wimbledon final at age 37. Defying time, she finds herself at this juncture of the Australian Open for the first time since 2003. It is the only major Venus hasn't won, so a career Golden Slam is on the table.
"I was really proud of Venus, she's a total inspiration for me," Serena said after her semifinal match, per USA Today's Sandra Harwitt. "She's my big sister, she's my world and my life. I'm just so happy for her, for both of us to be in the final. It is a dream come true."
One thing is certain: We're guaranteed to see the name Williams etched onto the Australian Open trophy.
Serena Williams at the 2017 Australian Open
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Serena blazed through her draw without losing a set, dropping more than four games only once.
That happened in the fourth round against Barbora Strycova, which Williams won 7-5, 6-4—the closest of any of her matches to this point.
Leading off the tournament with a win over talented youngster Belinda Bencic, Serena cruised past Lucie Safarova and fellow American Nicole Gibbs before taking out Strycova.
Since reaching the second week, she's kicked into overdrive.
In the quarterfinals, she tore apart ninth-seeded Johanna Konta 6-2, 6-3 in just over an hour. Her semifinal date with 34-year-old Mirjana Lucic-Baroni was even shorter, as Serena ended her opponent's Cinderella story in a swift 6-2, 6-1 victory.
Venus Williams at the 2017 Australian Open
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The elder Williams sister didn't have as easy a path to the finals, but her resiliency shined through.
Scoring a 7-6 (5), 7-5 win over 101st-ranked Kateryna Kozlova in the first round, Venus averted the upset and picked up steam with a trio of lopsided wins over Stefanie Vogele, Ying-Ying Duan and Mona Barthel.
In the quarterfinals, she withstood a stiffer test from Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, holding off the Russian 6-4, 7-6 (3). That victory sent her into a Grand Slam semifinal for just the second time since the 2010 U.S. Open.
Facing red-hot American CoCo Vandeweghe, Venus dropped her first set of this fortnight. But clutch serving and remaining calm under pressure allowed her to mount a comeback, and she eventually closed out the match 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-3 in just under 2.5 hours.
Emboldened by struggles with illness the last several years, Venus' perseverance paid off with her first trip to a Grand Slam final this decade.
Who Has the Historical Edge?
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The siblings have played 27 times professionally, with younger sister Serena holding a 16-11 lead.
At the Grand Slam level, Serena owns a 9-4 advantage. In major finals, she's 6-2 against Venus, including the 2003 Australian Open—the last time they met in Melbourne.
It will be only their fifth meeting since 2010, and Serena has won the last two matchups: at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2015. Venus' most recent win in the series came on the hard courts in Montreal nearly three years ago, when she won a three-set thriller over Serena in the semifinals.
With both now in their mid-30s, this could be one of the last times they square off.
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Biggest X-Factors
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No pair of opponents are more intimately aware of each other's games than Serena and Venus.
All the countless hours they've practiced together growing up, all the doubles matches they've played, all the times they've faced off—there'll be no surprises in this one.
Tactics aren't as important as the intangible factors. We know how they both thrive off delivering huge serves and dictating with their powerful forehands. What will decide this match is the emotional element.
Who'll handle the nerves better? Who wants it more? In the past, there's been an air of timidness to some of their matches, but the stakes are so high for each this time.
While Serena will feel the weight of history on her shoulders, Venus has possibly one final grasp at a major title and the perfect crescendo to her late-career resurgence.
Serena Williams Will Win If...
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Aside from a small hiccup during her fourth-round win over Strycova, Serena's been unassailable on serve.
Precision and power is the deadly tonic she uses to soar through service games.
Throughout the tournament (excluding that one match), she has converted a high percentage of first serves and limited the number of break points her opponents see.
You can't beat what you can't break.
She can't let Venus, an offensive-minded returner, have too many looks at second serves. Serena needs that one-two combination of a serve followed by a forehand to take control of her service points and stay out in front on the scoreboard.
Venus Williams Will Win If...
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To win this match, Venus will somehow have to find a way to beat Serena at her own game.
She can't afford to be the least bit passive, or her younger sister is destined to pounce. To get Serena out of her comfort zone, Venus needs to be aggressive with her court positioning, staying near or inside the baseline as much as possible.
With her forehand, Venus should look to run around and hit that shot often. Taking the ball early and moving Serena around is necessary if she's to disrupt the rhythm of the match.
Coming to net and using her beautiful volleying skills to keep the points shorter should also be a primary focus.
Another element that proved invaluable against Vandeweghe was the body serve. More of those are necessary in order to handcuff Serena when she returns.
Venus may be the underdog, but she's used similar tactics in the past to beat her sister.
Prediction
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Serena has the chance to finally surpass Steffi Graf's Open Era record of 22 Grand Slam titles and get back to No. 1 in the process.
She stumbled at this stage a year ago against Angelique Kerber, but the result will be different this time.
Buzzing with confidence after a dominant two weeks, Serena will keep her momentum going and won't be denied.
Plan for a bruising slugfest between two all-time great power hitters. Though Venus is capable of extending this match to a decider, look for Serena to win in two competitive sets.
All statistics are courtesy of WTATennis.com unless otherwise noted.
Joe Kennard is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.
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