The Venus and Serena Williams matchup in the Australian Open final Saturday will be historic and no doubt good for ratings and for the Williams family.
But don’t expect a classic match.
That’s because while the two have been among the best women tennis players of all time, their meetings in Grand Slam finals haven’t always lived up to the hype.
They have met eight times previously in Grand Slam finals and only twice have their matches gone three sets.
And of their last eight matches against each other in all tournaments, Venus has won just once.
But that won’t stop the Williams from embracing the unexpected meeting. At a combined 71 years of age, it’s the oldest matchup in a major final during the Open era.
“This is probably the moment of our careers so far,” Serena told reporters after her semifinal victory. “For me, I can definitely say for me.”
With a victory, Serena will surpass Steffi Graf for the most major titles in the Open era with 23. Venus, 36, hasn’t won a Slam since beating Serena in the finals at Wimbledon in 2008.
“She’s my toughest opponent,” the second-seeded Serena said of Venus, who is seeded 13th and knocked off Coco Vandeweghe in the semifinals. “Nobody has ever beaten me as much as Venus has. I just feel like no matter what happens, we’ve won … a Williams is going to win this tournament.’’
In their first match against each other as professionals, Venus beat Serena in the second round of the 1998 Australian Open.
Venus then won the 2001 US Open in their first Grand Slam final meeting.
Serena started turning the matchup around in 2002, when she knocked off Venus in the finals of the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
Overall, Serena holds a 16-11 advantage. Venus said this one “won’t be an easy match. I know that it won’t be easy. You have to control yourself, then you also have to hopefully put your opponent in a box. This opponent is your sister and she’s super awesome.”
It will be Venus’ first Slam final appearance since 2009. And despite having seven Slam titles, she’s never won the Australian Open.
So on Saturday, they meet in a Grand Slam again — which they did last in the quarterfinals of the 2015 US Open. And they know it might not happen again.
But Serena didn’t rule it out after her semifinal win over Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.
“This is something that I couldn’t write a better ending,” Serena said. “This is a great opportunity for us to start our new beginning. Will it be our last Grand Slam final together? Never say never. Look at us now.”