No other female sibling duo have been as successful as Venus Williams and Serena Williams in tennis. But, having won 16 more single Grand Slam titles than her elder sister, Serena was the far superior player among the two. However, years before Serena rose to the pinnacle of the game, Venus asserted her dominance by handing ‘Meke’ a humiliating 0-6 loss in the third set of their encounter at the 2008 WTA Tour Championships (now known as the WTA Finals).
Being placed in the same Maroon Group, Venus Williams and Serena Williams were pitted against each other at the round-robin stage of the tournament. As expected, both sisters entered the clash, bringing their A-game.
The first set of the tie was well contested as Serena came through, winning 7-5. However, Venus shifted gears and elevated her performance for the remainder of the match. After winning 6-1 in the second set, the elder sister uprooted Serena 6-0 in the third set to emerge victorious.
After Defeating Serena Williams, Venus Williams Went On to Win 2008 WTA Tour Championships
Despite withdrawing from the tournament due to a stomach injury, Serena revealed that her injury wasn’t a reason for the loss against her sister.
“No, no pain at all,” Serena said, per The New York Times. “I never felt anything on court although it was hurting by the time I got back to the hotel and was worse when I got up this morning. I didn’t know why I played so badly yesterday, but maybe this was the reason.”
Serena soon withdrew from the tournament after being unable to deal with the pain. However, Venus made her sister proud by lifting her first Tour Finals title.
Serena Williams wasn’t the only player to face the wrath of Venus Williams during the 2008 WTA Tour Championships. During the round-robin stage, “Queen Vee” also defeated Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva.
Qualifying for the knockout stage by virtue of being the #1 seed of the Maroon Group, the American defeated Jelena Jankovic in the semifinals. The then-28-year-old would go on to lift her first and only WTA Tour Finals trophy after defeating Vera Zvonareva 6-7, 6-0, 6-2 in the finals.
