Venus Williams' Win vs. Roberta Vinci Perfect Payback for Serena's US Open Loss

Every conversation about women's tennis, especially in 2015, revolved around Serena Williams. It was certainly understandable because of how dominant she was, but Venus Williams has quietly put together one of her best seasons in years. 

Fittingly, as the older Williams sister has made her way into the Wuhan Open final in China, she also got to play the role of avenger in the semifinals by defeating Roberta Vinci in three sets 5-7, 6-2, 7-6. 

As you may recall, Vinci ended Serena's quest for a calendar-year Grand Slam with a stunning upset in the U.S. Open semifinals in September. That turned out to be the last we would see of Serena in 2015, as she withdrew from the China Open and WTA Finals earlier in the week.

In an official statement, released by the China Open (via Eurosport), the younger Williams sister cited various injuries she battled this season as a reason for shutting things down:

"

It's no secret I've played injured most of the year - whether it was my elbow, my knee, or, in the final moments after a certain match in Flushing (Meadows, the US Open venue), my heart. 

I'm a fierce competitor and I want to compete as well as I can, for as long as I can. So I am taking a proactive step and withdrawing from tournaments in Beijing and Singapore (the WTA Finals) to properly address my health and take the time to heal.

"

It's a disappointing way to end an otherwise fabulous season, but it also gives Venus an opportunity to remind the world that she's still playing really well at an age (35) when most tennis players are holding on to past glory. 

She proved it on Friday with her win over Vinci, but she did add in an on-court interview (h/t Yahoo.com) after the match it would have been nice if she could trade her win with her sister. 

"If I could I would give this win to Serena at the U.S. Open, but it doesn't work like that in tennis," Venus said.

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

There was also a short moment of contention between Venus and Vinci late in the match, in which the latter didn't seem to be pleased with the rate at which Venus set herself up for a return, using an expletive to address the topic. 

According to Chris Chase of USA Today when writing about Friday's incident, there was "speculation" that Serena wasn't happy with Vinci's rate of play in the U.S. Open match, and Venus was possibly giving it back. 

Regardless, what Venus did on Friday should not be ignored. It may not get her sister the Grand Slam, but this is a sensational athlete who continues to prove doubters wrong. 

Despite only having one singles title win under her belt this season, with a chance at a second against Garbine Muguruza on Saturday, Venus holds a 28-11 record in singles matches this season. It's her best winning percentage (.718) since 2012 and second-most wins in a season since 2011. 

There have been questions about whether Venus would retire for years. After losing in the third round at last year's Wimbledon, via Mick Cleary of the Telegraph, she had to shoot down questions about walking away. 

"

They don’t encourage you to stay around in tennis. But I want to win grand slams. 

No one is going to give you one. You have to snatch it, growl. I did the best I could out there. It was a shame that there had to be a loser. And even more of a shame it had to be me. Totally figure out how that feels like.

"

While those major wins haven't come yet, Venus did advance to the quarterfinals at two Grand Slam events this season for the first time since 2010. She's got more gas left in the tank than anyone assumed when 2015 began. 

Being able to defeat Vinci in this scenario, weeks after the Italian ended her sister's historic season, and setting herself up to capture a second tournament title this season while also guaranteeing she will move back into the top 20 makes this one of her best wins of 2015. 

Venus does have to complete the story on Saturday with a win over Muguruza, but in the 24 hours that she has to celebrate, this is as wonderful and poetic a victory as the tennis world has had in a long time.