NEW YORK—Venus Williams, who will face 18-year-old Belinda Bencic in the third round at the U.S. Open, says she may discuss her strategy with her sister and world No. 1 Serena Williams.
“We always give each other advice, especially if one of us has played the other opponent recently,” Venus said. "So we always are there for encouragement and advice. She'll probably give me some pointers. She's got pretty sage advice. I like to think she knows best.”
Bencic upset Serena at the semifinals in Toronto last month. Venus has easily beat the teenager from Switzerland three times, including 6-1 6-2 in Dubai earlier this year. Bencic actually played Venus in her first-ever WTA match.
“She was a great competitor at the time. I thought that she was very determined and focused, no matter who she was playing or what the circumstance was,” the 35-year old Venus said. “I thought she handled it really well. Clearly she's come a long way since then. It's wonderful to see her doing positive things, not just in tennis but with her life."
The Swiss nearly lost in the second round when she was down three match points against Misaki Doi, but came through, even while crying on court.
"It's my personality on the court. I am not the player who is the calmest. I'm very emotional,” said the No. 12 ranked Bencic. "That's just how I am.”