NEW YORK — Venus Williams struck a blow for the older set and stayed on course for a quarter-finals collision with Grand Slam-seeking sister Serena Williams by beating Swiss teen Belinda Bencic on Friday at the U.S. Open.
Venus Williams, 35, produced a vintage power-game performance to beat up-and-coming 18-year-old Bencic 6-3 6-4 in a third-round match-up between the oldest and youngest players left in the women's draw.
Williams, who played her first U.S. Open in 1997, the year 12th-seeded Swiss was born, won 83 percent of her first serves, and blasted 31 winners, including 15 from the forehand side.