U.S. Open: Venus and Serena Williams will face each other . . . in the third round

It was 20 years ago when Venus and Serena Williams first faced each other in a big-time tournament, and it’s been 17 years since they first faced each other in the U.S. Open.

They will meet again in the third round of the Open on Friday — and for the 30th time in their storied careers.

Venus, 38, did her part by beating Camila Giorgi, 6-4, 7-5, on Armstrong Stadium Wednesday. In the first night match on Ashe, Serena, 36, defeated Carina Witthoeft 6-2, 6-2.

“It’s early in the tournament, so both of us are going to be looking forward to continuing to play better,” Venus said after her win but before Serena’s victory. “It’s definitely a tough draw. She’s definitely fully capable of winning tonight’s match. So hopefully I’ll see her Friday.”

Venus’ match with Giorgi figured to be a tough one, and it was close all the way, taking 1:51 to play the two sets. It came down to a few key errors by Giorgi and consistent play from Williams, who won all four rallies that lasted at least nine shots, a pretty tidy showing from her.

This will be the sixth time the sisters have met at the Open, where Serena holds a 3-2 advantage, and she holds the overall lead at 17-12. Venus won the first three times they played, beginning with a second-round match in the Australian Open in 1998. She was 17 at the time, Serena was 16.

Serena dominated her sister in 2009, winning all five matches they played. Venus last beat Serena at Indian Wells in March, when Serena returned to the game from a 14th-month maternity leave.

“I haven’t played in over a year. It’s definitely not less disappointing, I wish it was,” Serena said then. “But then I wouldn’t be who I am.”

The Indian Wells match was 17 years in the making. The sisters were supposed to play each other there in 2001. Shortly before their semifinal was to begin Venus withdrew with a right knee injury, drawing the ire of the packed stadium and causing an ensuing 14-year boycott of the tournament by the sisters.

They first met at the Open in 2001 in a glamour night final that Venus won, 6-2, 6-4, the second of her two consecutive Open victories. Serena beat Venus in the final the next year. Venus won in the round of 16 in 2005 and Serena won the last two, in the quarterfinals in 2008 and 2015. Serena was upset in the semifinals by Roberta Vinci in 2015 and won the last of her six Opens in 2014. She missed last year’s Open with the birth of her daughter Alexis Olympia.

Typically, the sisters deflect questions of a real rivalry.

“I’m the kind of person that looks forward, so I try to learn from the past and try to enjoy the moment in the future,” Venus said.

"Unfortunately and fortunately we have to play each other," Serena said. "We make each other better. We bring out the best when we play each other. It's what we do, so . . . 

“The next match will be incredibly hard,” Serena added. “We would rather meet later, but we’ll come out, do our usual, do our best.”

You can bet a few bob that their match will be on Ashe Stadium on Friday night.

“That’s going to be exciting for the fans,” said Victoria Azarenka. “I’m sure they will hate it, both of them hate this, but I think it’s going to be beautiful for tennis.”