NEW YORK (AP) The Latest on the U.S. Open (all times local):
10 p.m.
Serena Williams has defeated sister Venus in three sets to move within two victories of completing the first Grand Slam since 1988.
The younger Williams won 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 in the U.S. Open quarterfinals Tuesday night in front of a celebrity-filled crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was her 11th three-set victory at a major this year.
Serena improved to 9-5 against her sister in Grand Slam matches.
Serena was nearly perfect in the first set but tightened up in the second. She pulled it back together in the third, breaking Venus’ serve right away. Showing the importance of the moment, Serena started celebrating winners with big fist pumps and loud yells of “Come on!” unlike most matches against her sister.
The 35-year-old Venus kept up her sharp play of the last two rounds, but Serena – as she so often is against everyone – was simply better.
She next faces 43rd-ranked Roberta Vinci, who reached her first Grand Slam semifinal and has never defeated Williams.
9:28 p.m.
Venus Williams has pushed sister Serena to a third set in their U.S. Open quarterfinal.
The younger Williams will need to win her 11th three-set match at a major this year to keep alive her bid for the first Grand Slam since 1988. Venus took the second set 6-1 after Serena won the first 6-2.
Serena was nearly perfect in the first set but started to get tight in the second, with three double-faults. Venus, meanwhile, kept up her strong play of the last two rounds.
Serena is 8-5 against her sister at the majors.
Arthur Ashe Stadium was dotted with celebrities for the hugely anticipated match, including Oprah Winfrey, Kim Kardashian and Donald Trump.
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9 p.m.
Serena Williams has won the first set of her U.S. Open quarterfinal against sister Venus as she seeks to complete the first Grand Slam since 1988.
The younger Williams took the set 6-2 in 33 minutes Tuesday night in front of a celebrity-filled crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Unlike some previous meetings when the awkwardness of the moment affected the performances of both, each was sharp at the start Tuesday. Venus kept up her strong play from the last two rounds. But Serena, as she often is against everyone, was just better. She had 15 winners to only two unforced errors and broke Venus’ powerful serve twice.
Serena is 8-5 against her sister at the majors.
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7:15 p.m.
Defending champion Marin Cilic stretched his U.S. Open winning streak to 12 matches and returned to the semifinals by holding on to beat 19th-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (3), 6-4.
The match took nearly four hours in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday, delaying the start of the women’s quarterfinal between Serena and Venus Williams.
The ninth-seeded Cilic appeared to be heading to a relatively straightforward victory after taking the first two sets. He was 47-0 in his Grand Slam career when up by that margin.
But Tsonga steadied himself to force a fifth set, before Cilic pulled it out.
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6:25 p.m.
Defending U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic is heading to a fifth set in his quarterfinal against 19th-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France.
Cilic won the first two sets, but Tsonga took the next two, saving three match points in the fourth.
The match is being played in Arthur Ashe Stadium, so Serena and Venus Williams will not get on court for their quarterfinal until after Cilic and Tsonga are done.
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2:55 p.m.
Roberta Vinci has reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at age 32.
The 43rd-ranked Italian outlasted Kristina Mladenovic 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 at the U.S. Open on Tuesday. The 22-year-old Mladenovic, who had never been past the third round at a major before this tournament, struggled with cramping on a steamy afternoon. Her fourth-round singles match didn’t end until 1 a.m. Monday, then she played doubles later that day.
Vinci, meanwhile, advanced into the quarterfinal without taking the court Sunday, when 25th-seeded Eugenie Bouchard withdrew after sustaining a concussion when she slipped and fell in the locker room two days earlier.
Mladenovic rallied from down a break in the second to force a third set, but had trainers rubbing ice on her legs during changeovers.
At 3-3 in the final set, the two played a 15-minute game with 10 deuces. Mladenovic had six game points she failed to convert.
After getting broken, the 40th-ranked Frenchwoman asked for a medical timeout. Not eligible under the rules to receive more treatment for cramping, she said it was a different injury. Vinci protested to the chair umpire as Mladenovic had her left thigh wrapped.
It wouldn’t make a difference. Mladenovic repeatedly bent over in discomfort between points, and Vinci won her last two service games to clinch victory after 2 hours, 32 minutes.
Vinci has played on the biggest stages before, winning five major doubles titles with former partner Sara Errani. She had been 0-2 in Grand Slam singles quarterfinals, both at the U.S. Open.
