MELBOURNE, Australia — Venus Williams became the oldest Australian Open singles finalist of the Open era on Thursday, holding off her powerful 25-year-old American compatriot CoCo Vandeweghe in a three-set semifinal full of winners, errors and intensity.
It was a bravura performance — reminiscent of her best tennis earlier in her career — and Saturday’s final will also be a flashback, because her opponent will be her younger sister Serena Williams.