Anastasia Rodionova has suffered a straight-sets defeat at the hands of Venus Williams at the WTA event in Charleston, setting up the possibility of an all-Williams semi-final.
The elder Williams sister kept up with Serena by winning her third-round match at the green clay tournament 7-5 6-2 over Australian Rodionova on Thursday.
However, she may need to conquer another Aussie in second-seeded Sam Stosur to keep the semi in the family.
The victory over Rodionova continues Venus’s strong comeback from an autoimmune disease that kept her sidelined for more than six months.
Serena advanced to the quarter-finals, ousting Marina Erakovic of New Zealand 6-2 6-2.
Venus reached the final eight for the second straight tournament. She returned to action at the Sony Ericsson Open last week, winning four times before falling to eventual champion Agnieszka Radwanska.
Venus won her third match at her first clay-court tournament since 2010. She will take on Stosur or Galina Voskoboeva on Friday.
Serena’s easy win allowed her to focus an ocean away and the grand slam title she’d love to once again add to her Hall-of-Fame legacy.
“I’m always ready to win the French Open,” she said on Thursday, “and I never do.”
Williams said she was more comfortable in her second match on clay, moving better and reacting more crisply during the longer points that come with the slower surface.
“So I felt good,” Williams said. “I love the clay.”
It doesn’t always love her back, especially at Roland Garros. Williams, a 13-time grand slam titlist, won her only French Open crown in 2002. She lost in the semi-finals the next year, then has not gotten past the quarter-finals in five trips since. Paris is “my favourite city in the world,” Williams said. “I hate leaving there.”
So imagine how much it must gall the ultra-competitive Williams when she leaves without the victory.
First things first, though.
Williams will face either 2009 Charleston champ Sabine Lisicki or Yaroslava Shvedova on Friday. Should the American prevail, Venus Williams could be waiting in the semi-finals.
“I hope we both get there,” Serena said of Saturday’s possible sibling showdown. “I mean, I have to win another match.”
Third-seeded Marion Bartoli wasn’t so fortunate. She gave up a 4-2 lead in the third set to lose to Polona Hercog of Slovenia.
Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic defeated Alexsandra Wozniak of Canada, and Nadia Petrova, the 2006 winner here, ousted Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia.