Serena and Venus Williams: One in and One Out at Australian Open

Many had said that there was a possibility that Serena and Venus would face each other in the semifinals. And based on their performances through the fourth round, it appeared that they may very well meet. But, unfortunately, that would end up not being the case.

First up was Venus. She was playing against the No. 16 seed Li Na. In the first set, with a win of 6-2, Venus appeared to be on track for the semifinals as most were predicting. She carried that momentum into the second set, going up 5-3. But Li Na would not be denied. She battled back. The set was forced into a tie breaker where Li Na was triumphant, winning the set 7-6.

The third set was pretty much a repeat of the performances of the first two. Though both ladies experienced mistakes and errors, Li Na was simply better at capitalizing on them.

Once again, Venus could not find her rhythm and hang on to it. Li Na went on to win the third set and match, 7-5. In the end, the Venus who had shown such promise of reaching the semifinals, and maybe even the finals, ended the match with 53 unforced errors and 11 double faults—clearly showing that she was not playing the level of tennis that she is capable of.

Though she had a tough time in this quarterfinal match, Venus is sure to take lessons from it, as she prepares for the rest of the year. Though she is out in the singles, she and Serena continue to move forth in the doubles with a great shot of reaching the finals.

Serena faced the No. 7 seed, Victoria Azarenka. Last year, when these two met in the fourth round at the Australian Open, Victoria had to retire early. She was leading the match upon retirement.

It was apparent from the start that Victoria wanted a win against Serena. She came out strong (serving and returning). She won the first set 6-4.

Victoria took the momentum and carried it on to the second set. She went up 4-0 against Serena. But, as everyone knows, Serena is the person who has a very successful track record of battling back from the brink, especially at the Australian Open. Serena played hard and Azarenka hung in there. The set went into a tie breaker where Serena continued her dominance.

She won the tie breaker and thus the set, 7-6.

Then there was the third set which simply belonged to Serena. Serena played the kind of tennis that she is known for. She was serving and returning in a way that made it obvious that she was aiming for a win—and she won in true Serena style, 6-2. Serena's final stats were 16 of 20 service points, 18 winners, and only three unforced errors.

Serena will now face the person that handed her sister the defeat in this Australian Open—Li Na.

Both of these women are focused on reaching the finals, so it is sure to be a great match.

Though the Williams' sisters took different paths, they are sure to meet back up on the winners' highway.