NEW YORK — Venus Williams earned a shot at a little family revenge by outlasting American compatriot Irina Falconi 6-3 6-7(2) 6-2 to set up an intriguing U.S. Open third round clash with Swiss teenager Belinda Bencic on Wednesday.
Venus will seek out a scouting report from little sister and world number one Serena (50-2), who has only lost two matches this season, one of those to the 18-year-old Swiss prospect in Toronto last month.
More significantly, Bencic, who rallied for a 5-7 7-6(3) 6-3 win over Japan's Misaki Doi, stands in the way of a potential all-Williams quarter-final clash that would see Venus attempting to end Serena's bid for the rare calendar-year Grand Slam.