- 29th Meeting; Serena Leads Head-to-Head 17-11
- Sisters’ First Meeting since 2017 Australian Open Championship, Serena’s Most Recent Event
ESPN has added Monday’s Serena Williams vs. Venus Williams third-round match from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif. The March 12 match – the 29th between the sisters born just 15 months apart, with the younger Serena holding a 17-11 advantage – is likely to be played at 10 p.m. ET and will be aired on ESPNEWS. It will also be available on the ESPN app. ESPN will be taking the WTA’s coverage of the match with the world feed commentators.
Both players entered the tournament with little recent competitive play. Serena’s last WTA match had been defeating Venus at the 2017 Australian Open for her 23rd Major championship. The world later learned Serena was pregnant at the time; she gave birth to her daughter last September. Venus went on to enjoy a renaissance year – appearing in two Major finals and one semifinal and ending the year ranked No. 5. However, her last event was in January, a return to Melbourne where she lost in the first round. They played Fed Cup doubles together in February (a “dead rubber”) and both participated last week in the “Tie Break Tens” event at Madison Square Garden.
Because of her time away from the sport, 36-year old Serena is unseeded; Venus, 37, is seeded No. 8. This round of 32 matchup is the earliest the Williams Sisters have faced each other since their first match, in the round of 64 at the 1998 Australian Open. Venus won 7-6, 6-1.
TALE OF THE SISTERS’ TAPE
SERENA No. 8 Seed VENUS
| Age / DOB | |
| 36 / Sept. 26, 1981 | 37 / June 17, 1980 |
| Birthplace | |
| Saginaw, MI, USA | Lynwood, CA, USA |
| Height | |
| 5′ 9″ (1.75 m) | 6′ 1″ (1.85 m) |
| Marital Status, Children | |
| Married, One daughter | Single, none |
| Pro Status | |
| Pro (September 1995) | Pro (October 31, 1994) |
| Weeks / Times Ranked No. 1 | |
| 319 / 8 | 11 / 3 |
| Career Won/Lost | |
| 783 – 130 | 777 – 224 |
| YTD Won/Lost | |
| 0 – 0 | 2 – 2 |
| Career Titles | |
| 72 | 49 |
| YTD Titles | |
| 0 | 0 |
| Head to Head: Overall / Hard Courts
17-11 / 1138 |
|
| Head to Head: Finals / Major Finals
9-3 / 7-2 |
|
| Career Record, Major Finals | |
| 23-6 | 7-9 |
| YTD Prize Money | |
| $0 USD | $56,769 USD |
| Career Prize Money | |
| $84,463,131 USD | $34,435,058 USD |
* – Stats are before the current event, from WTATennis.com
Match Preview from ESPN The Magazine’s Alyssa Roenigk:
ESPN and the BNP Paribas Open
ESPN app continues to offer first-ball-to-last-ball coverage with action from up to eight courts. ESPN’s 23 hours of originally scheduled TV coverage starts Thursday, March 8, and includes the women’s and men’s semifinals and championships.
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | Network(s) |
| Mar 8 – 18 | 2 p.m. – finish | BNP Paribas Open –
ATP & WTA feeds, up to 8 courts |
ESPN3 |
| Mon, Mar 12 | 10 p.m. – * | BNP Paribas Open – Third Round Match
Serena Williams vs. No. 8 Venus Williams |
ESPNEWS |
| Thu, Mar 15 | 2 – 6 p.m. | BNP Paribas Open – Quarterfinals | ESPN2 |
| 8 p.m. – 12 a.m. | BNP Paribas Open – Quarterfinals | ESPN2 | |
| Fri, Mar 16 | 3 – 5 p.m. | BNP Paribas Open – Men’s Quarterfinal #3 | ESPN |
| 5 – 7 p.m. | BNP Paribas Open – Men’s Quarterfinal #4 | ESPN3 | |
| 10 p.m. – 2 a.m. | BNP Paribas Open – Women’s Semifinals | ESPN2 | |
| Sat, Mar 17 | 2 – 7 p.m. | BNP Paribas Open – Men’s Semifinals | ESPN |
| Sun, Mar 18 | 2 – 6 p.m. | BNP Paribas Open – Men’s & Women’s Championships | ESPN |
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