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Serena finds her rhythm in fourth round win, faces Venus next

Serena Williams, of the United States, returns a shot to Madison Keys, of the United States, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Serena Williams, of the United States, returns a shot to Madison Keys, of the United States, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

NEW YORK – Madison Keys knew it as soon as she hit it. As the ball hung over the net, seemingly suspended there, Keys started to smile.

The smile only grew wider as Serena Williams all but strolled to ball, cocked her arm backwards, and slammed a forehand that Keys never had a chance of reaching.

It was a frustrated but knowing smile. You can’t make it that easy for Serena. Serena closed out the game on the next point to take a 4-3 advantage.

Keys went into the changeover shaking her head. It looked as thought she'd already accepted her fate. There was just no beating Serena on Sunday.

After a shaky first week, the six-time U.S. Open champion had found her rhythm. Her serves left Keys lunging and twirling. Keys served well, too – she actually served more aces in the match – but the effort wasn’t enough to end Serena’s amazing summer. It came to a sputtering end as Keys double faulted at match point.

Serena moved on with a fairly routine 6-3, 6-3 win.

It was a disappointing end to what’s been Keys’ best year on tour. She advanced to the semifinal in Australia, the quarterfinal at Wimbledon, the third round in Paris and the fourth round here, her best performances at any of those events. She now has a premier match on Ashe under her belt  – the next one won’t be nearly as daunting. These small victories will add up.

"Today she really pushed me. I didn't really have the chances that I normally have to kind of dictate the point," Keys said after the match. "I think overall I did everything good. You know, I don't think I did anything really great, which I think to beat Serena when she's playing well you have to do a lot of things great."

Venus Williams, of the United States, waves to fans after beating Anett Kontaveit, of Estonia, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Venus Williams, of the United States, waves to fans after beating Anett Kontaveit, of Estonia, during the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

The win sets up a quarterfinal meeting with an opponent Serena knows all too well: older sister Venus. Venus advanced with a quick 6-2, 6-1 win over qualifier Anett Kontaveit earlier on Sunday.

"Even though you're playing your sister you have to be prepared and focus," Venus said in her press conference, as Serena played about 500 feet away. As for potentially spoiling Serena's chance at winning the calendar Grand Slam, Venus acknowledged that it's just the luck of the draw.

"I don't think anyone wants to be the spoiler," she said. "I think people love to see history being made. No one is out to be the spoiler, but at the same time, you're focused on winning your match even though the circumstances are really much different than you."

This will be Venus's first quarterfinal appearance here since 2010. The sisters last met at the U.S. Open in 2008, when Serena prevailed in a two-set battle that went to tiebreaks in both sets. They met again this summer at Wimbledon, where Serena defeated Venus 6-4, 6-3 in the fourth round.

"I think it's more fun than it used to be," Serena said. "And it's still super intense. She's doing well and she wants to win this. So do I. It's not easy."

"I've taken a lot of losses off of her - more than anybody," she added. "She's a player that knows how to win, knows how to beat me, and knows my weaknesses better than anyone. So it's not an easy match at all. Hopefully things will go right."

When they meet on Tuesday, Venus will not be thinking about the overall history on the line. "Getting to a Grand Slam semifinal is the next step toward the final," she said. "Pretty clear that's what's up for grabs here."

There is no doubt they will both be going at full speed. "I would rather lose to Venus as opposed to anyone else," Serena said. "[But] I, in general, don't like to lose."

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Danielle Elliot is a writer for Yahoo Sports. You can find her on Twitter and Facebook