(Reuters) – Serena Williams survived another scare to beat older sister Venus 3-6 6-3 6-4 on Thursday in the latest instalment of their reluctant on-court sibling rivalry to reach the quarter-finals of the inaugural Top Seed Open in Lexington, Kentucky.
Serena, who in her first-round match of the spectator-free tournament was five points from defeat against world number 60 Bernarda Pera, used some clutch shot-making during the decisive set to prevail in a thrilling and hard-fought battle.
With the win, Serena improved to 19-12 in career head-to-head meetings with Venus.
Top-seeded Serena will next face the winner of a Thursday match between Canadian qualifier Leylah Fernandez and American wildcard Shelby Rogers in the WTA International-level event.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
