Venus on US Open Buzz, Serena’s Pregnancy

Twenty years after a 17-year-old Venus Williams soared into the US Open final in her Flushing Meadows debut, she remains energized by the sight of Arthur Ashe Stadium.“It's massive,” Williams said of Ashe Stadium. “When I was flying in, we flew right over it. A certain excitement, I get to play there. It's a privilege. It's an honor.“I take it quite seriously. Everybody does. It's just been, you know, a dream come true, to continue to come back.”More: What To Watch Day 2The 37-year-old Williams withstood eight double faults and 10 aces from her opponent navigating a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory over 19-year-old Grand Slam debutant Viktoria Kuzmova to advance to the US Open second round for the 19th time.Trips to the Wimbledon and Australian Open finals this season reinforce the two-time US Open champion’s belief that she’s at her best on the biggest Slam stages.“I feel like my game always rises a lot in the bigger events,” said Williams. “That's what I feel like, like I'll be ready to play when push comes to shove.”The ninth-seeded American will meet a French opponent—either Pauline Parmentier or Oceane Dodin—next while continuing to look forward to embracing another title soon: Aunt to the baby sister Serena is scheduled to deliver soon.“It's definitely a different experience, especially for she and I, because we spent our whole lives focused, so focused on work,” Venus said. “So when you have an experience that is not work, it's pretty intense. That's all we do, is work and train and focus.“It's a completely different experience for both of us.”Photo credit: @USOpen]]>