As the large crowd milled outside Arthur Ashe Stadium full of anticipation on a steamy Tuesday night for the US Open, it was hard not to flash back to the beginnings for Venus and Serena Williams.
Though Venus the elder swung for the lines and even won the second set in a hurry, Serena the younger prevailed - as she has so often in recent years - to win this quarterfinal match, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, and bring the prospect of a Grand Slam ever closer to reality.
Serena, 33, is now just two victories from joining Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court and Steffi Graf as the only women to win all four major singles titles in a season.