Australian Open: Ageless artist Venus sets up a siblings showdown with Serena

MELBOURNE: Victory, like wine, tastes better with age. “The older you get, the more you feel,” American tennis legend Chris Evert explained. “It's always a little sweeter at the end.”
It certainly seemed so for Venus Williams, 36, who rallied to overcome the brutal power play of Coco Vandeweghe in the Australian Open semifinals. The 25-year-old, who once chased Venus for autographs, simply couldn't match the American superstar's grit and game down the homestretch at the Rod Laver Arena on Thursday.The seven-time major winner came through 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 6-3 in stunning fashion, 14 years after she made her first and only final here.
The moment she crossed the tape, Venus - now the oldest Australian Open finalist in the Open Era -dropped her racket and pirouetted, once, twice then struck the pose of a figure skater, hand on her chest, a tear or two rolling down her cheeks. A winner, an ageless artist.
“Oh my gosh! This means so much. It was a heartfelt match,” Venus said after two hours and 26 minutes of action. Her second trip to the final also counted for the longest gap between appearances in the final at the opening Grand Slam of the year.
Venus, in her 15th Slam final, may have let her younger opponent dictate the pace of plan but she didn't waver, sticking to her piece. “The way she's been playing this tournament is knockout, just playing beautifully. Unless the nerves get to you or you have a bad day, I had to expect that she was going to be able to execute that once again and she did. For me it's more than the cherry on top, more than I dreamed of. It's a moment in the sun, mine has been going on a while, but I got nothing else to do.”
Vandeweghe, ranked 35, who'll now break into the top 20, completed the oldest semifinal line-up at a Grand Slam in the Open era. She played a strong tie-break, winning points, not waiting for them to come to her. The lines quickly blurred for the young American and she started missing, especially on her backhand in the second and third sets.
Vandeweghe was quick to applaud her opponent. “Venus is an unbelievable competitor. For her to be the great champion that she is, is a great accomplishment. It doesn't matter if she's 36 or 18. I appreciate her as an athlete, as a competitor,” she said. “It shows the human aspect of sport, that's a very important factor that sometimes gets pushed to the side. I think it's great for her to make a final.”
In the title round, Venus will take on her younger sister Serena Williams who punctuated 34-year-old Mirjana Lucic-Baroni's heart-warming run at Melbourne Park with a 6-2, 6-1 result. Serena dominated with her serve, the Croatioan winning just two points in the 50-minute match on the second seed's first delivery.
“She's an inspiration, I was rooting for her the whole tournament,” Serena said of her opponent, who she last stood across the net from in 1998. “My big sister Venus is another total inspiration, she's my world, my life. She means everything to me. The final is the biggest dream come true. I've been through a lot, she has been through a lot. She's a great player and no one has beaten me more than Venus has, no matter what happens a Williams will have won. (Playing her in the final) is an old familiar feeling that I clearly forgot about.”
On the question of how their respective boxes would be divided for the final, Serena thought the coaches and trainers would find their respective places. Their older sister Esha, who is here, said she wouldn't watch the final. Serena wasn't quite sure where her fiancé Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian would be seated either. “He's been cheering for Venus all week,” she said, “and I don't blame him. I think there will be a coin toss for who goes where.”
Lucic-Baroni, quite easily the story of the tournament, will break into the top-30 for the first time when the new rankings come out. Before she walked off the court, she stopped for a selfie, framing the moment. “Serena served incredible. She played really well from the first point,” the strapped up Lucic-Baroni said.
“It's an amazing start to the year for me. This gives me so much motivation. Now I want to work even harder. I want to continue having success.”