Serena-Venus Showdown Serves Up Excitement For US Open Fans
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It's the ultimate sibling rivalry.
Serena and Venus Williams will face off for the 27th time in a big tournament Tuesday night when they meet in the US Open quarterfinals in Flushing Meadows.
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Serena, 33, is hoping to complete the rare calendar Grand Slam by winning all four major tournaments in the same year. Venus, 35, is trying to show she can do it one more time -- her last Grand Slam title came at Wimbledon in 2008.
"It's a classic matchup, maybe one of the last times we'll ever see the sisters playing against each other," Venkata Nukeatraiou, of Fairfield, Connecticut, told CBS2's Lou Young.
Tennis fans are split about which sister they're pulling for.
"I'm going to go with Venus," said Steve Torrab, of Midtown. " ... Venus hasn't won in a long time. I'm going with the underdog."
For some, it's a cold calculation -- one star rises as the other fades.
"Definitely Serena," said Nimesa Pokar, of London.
"Straight sets," Monica Pokar interjected.
"I don't think it's going to be difficult for her," Nimesa Pokar added. "It'll be over with in about an hour."
For others, there's not much thought at all.
"Venus, just because I like the name better," said Pairsa Djabaheri, of Great Neck. " ... It is very deep."
But to 9-year-old tennis prodigy Sophia Cisse, of Roosevelt Island, it's more about the form than the name. Her parents know her passion for tennis descends directly from the efforts of people such as Arthur Ashe, former Mayor David Dinkins, and in no small measure, the remarkable success of Venus and Serena Williams.
Sophia works out at the New York Junior Tennis & Learning program in the Bronx with plans to watch the match.
She is picking Serena.
When asked if she thinks of herself when she watches Serena, Sophia replied: "Sort of. She's better than me, so not really."
Sophia's parents are hoping the match doesn't go too late: Wednesday is her first day of school.