Venus leads first US Open all-American semis since 1981
New York: For the first time since 1981, the US Open women's semifinals will be an all-American affair with seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams and three first-Slam-title hopefuls in the mix.
Williams, seeking her third US Open crown after 2000 and 2001, will face Sloane Stephens while 20th seed CoCo Vandeweghe and 15th seed Madison Keys collide in Thursday's matches at Arthur Ashe Stadium, with the winners meeting Saturday for the championship.
"It's pretty awesome," said Keys after completing the foursome with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Estonian qualifier Kaia Kanepi.
"I thought it would be a really special moment. I'm happy I helped out and got my name in there."
No matter who advances, it will set up the first all-American US Open final since 2002, when Williams lost to younger sister Serena.
"It has been a great two weeks for American tennis, seeing all the American players in the draw and all of them advancing so deep and competing so well," Williams said.
"It's great to see this resurgence and I hope it can continue."
US ninth seed Williams, enjoying one of her finest seasons at age 37, is leading the charge. This year's Australian Open and Wimbledon runner-up is the US Open's oldest semi-finalist and the oldest in any Slam since Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 1994.
