CoCo Vandeweghe is a major obstacle in a Williams family reunion in the Australian Open women’s final.
Serena and Venus haven’t played in a grand slam decider since 2009 and while six-time champion Serena still has to get past resurgent Croat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, Vandeweghe is standing in the way of the sisters squaring off.
World No.35 Vandeweghe’s previous best grand slam effort is a quarter-final showing at Wimbledon in 2015 while she crashed in the first round at Melbourne Park last year.
But the 25-year-old American says she feels she may play better under pressure.
It certainly appears so having already accounted for world No.1 Angelique Kerber, reigning French Open champ Garbine Muguruza and 2014 Open semi-finalist Eugenie Bouchard in this year’s Open.
“Maybe I play better nervous and scared,” Vandeweghe said.
“I don’t shy away from a challenge necessarily. I never have.
“Growing up, I’ve always just been wanting to prove people wrong in a lot of different regards.”
A talented young basketballer, Vandeweghe has a remarkable sporting pedigree with her mother Tauna an Olympic swimmer while her grandfather Ernie and uncle Kiki – an NBA All-Star – both played professional basketball for the New York Knicks.
Vandeweghe said she enjoyed the challenge of taking on the game’s best.
“I take it as an enjoyable challenge. It’s what I want to do. It’s where I want to be,” she said.
“To face the best players is definitely an accomplishment, to say for myself that I’ve gotten to the point that I’ve beat and face these top players.”