NEW YORK — By now, Venus and Serena Williams know all too well how it feels to set aside sisterhood for a couple of hours and try to beat each other on a tennis court.
They know what it feels like to meet at a Grand Slam tournament, what it feels like to win such a match, what it feels like to lose.
And they much prefer it when there’s a major championship at stake. The all-Williams showdown, set up by their easy victories Monday at the U.S. Open, comes earlier this time.
This time it’s only a quarterfinal.
“It’s so soon,” Serena said. “You know, it’s just disappointing to be so soon.”
Both advanced through the fourth round without a challenge. No. 7-seeded Venus dismissed No. 9 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-1, 6-3, before No. 4 Serena dispatched wild-card entrant Severine Bremond of France 6-2, 6-2.
“Even the semis would have been better than the quarterfinals, but at least one of us will make it to the semis,” Serena told the crowd during an on-court interview. “I’ve got probably the toughest match of the tournament coming up next, so I’ve got to be ready.”
Some sisters make plans to go shopping together, say, or to catch a movie. These siblings keep running into each other at their sport’s highest levels.
Venus beat Serena for the title at Wimbledon in July — their seventh major title match — and Wednesday will mark the first time they’ve squared off at consecutive Grand Slam tournaments since 2003.
Both have dealt with injuries and inactivity that stalled their dominance, but clearly they are back at the height of their powers.
“The best part is that we’re still here,” Venus said, “going stronger than ever, in my opinion.”
They’ve played 16 times as professionals, with each winning eight. That includes 10 meetings at major tournaments, with each winning five.
“I would love to have a winning record,” Venus said. “I have a chance.”
Because of the luck of the pre-tournament draw, they were placed in the same portion of the bracket in New York — much to the disappointment of them, U.S. Open organizers and TV types. Even other players.
“For sure, it would have been better for the crowd if it was a final,” Bremond said. “It would have been a very good final.”
That certainly rings true: Serena has lost a total of 14 games through four matches at Flushing Meadows; Venus has dropped 15.
Of the eight women left, only two have won a Grand Slam title — Serena leads all active players with eight, and Venus is right behind with seven.
They won every U.S. Open women’s singles championship from 1999 to 2002, meeting in the finals the last two years of that span — it was their ascension that prompted the U.S. Open to move the women’s final from Saturday afternoon to Saturday night. Since 2002, though, Serena hasn’t made it past the quarterfinals here, and Venus has only reached one semifinal.
“I just feel like, you know, we’re both playing better and feeling better,” Serena said. “We’re just playing the way we should play.”
Also advancing were No. 6 Dinara Safina, who defeated Anna-Lena Groenefeld 7-5, 6-0, and No. 16 Flavia Pennetta, who beat No. 32 Amelie Mauresmo 6-3, 6-0.
In men’s action, No. 1 Rafael Nadal held off 55th-ranked Sam Querrey, a 20-year-old Californian who never before had been to the fourth round at a major tournament. Querrey hung in during extended baseline rallies, and even briefly led in the third set, before losing 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-3.
Nadal owns four titles from the French Open and one from Wimbledon, but he’s never been as far as the U.S. Open semifinals. He’ll try to take care of that when he meets unseeded American Mardy Fish in the quarterfinals.
Also advancing: No. 17 Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, who ended the run of Kei Nishikori, the first Japanese man to reach the U.S. Open’s fourth round in 40 years. Del Potro won 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 for his 23rd consecutive victory.
Del Potro will face No. 6 Andy Murray, who beat 10th-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.
Fish serve-and-volleyed his way past No. 32 Gael Monfils in straight sets. As for facing Nadal?
“I feel like a guy with my style of play is someone that he doesn’t want to see,” said Fish, who won the point of 45 of 69 trips to the net. “You’ve got to be able to finish points quickly. He’s going to last longer than anybody. He wants to keep the points as long as possible and run the guys down, kind of body-blow after body-blow.”

Monday at the U.S. Open

WEATHER: Sunny, warm and very pleasant. High of 85.
ATTENDANCE: Day: 37,180. Night: 23,763. Total: 60,943
MEN’S WINNERS (Fourth Round): No. 1 Rafael Nadal, No. 6 Andy Murray, No. 17 Juan Martin del Potro and Mardy Fish.
MEN’S LOSERS: No. 10 Stanislas Wawrinka, No. 32 Gael Monfils and Sam Querrey.
WOMEN’S WINNERS (Fourth Round): No. 4 Serena Williams,
No. 6 Dinara Safina, No. 7 Venus Williams and No. 16 Flavia Pennetta.
WOMEN’S LOSERS: No. 9 Agnieszka Radwanska, No. 32 Amelie Mauresmo, Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Severine Bremond.
TOP PLAYERS ON COURT TODAY: Men (Fourth Round): No. 2 Roger Federer vs. No. 23 Igor Andreev, No. 3 Novak Djokovic vs.
No. 15 Tommy Robredo, No. 5 Nikolay Davydenko vs. Gilles Muller, No. 8 Andy Roddick vs. No. 11 Fernando Gonzalez. Women (Quarterfinals): No. 2 Jelena Jankovic vs. No. 29 Sybille Bammer,
No. 5 Elena Dementieva vs. No. 15 Patty Schnyder.
STAT OF THE DAY: Up a service break at 4-2 in the fourth set, Rafael Nadal saved seven break points against Sam Querrey. He won the game on his first ad point.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “It’s nice to know he actually had to go out there and fight for it rather than me kind of handing it to him.” — Sam Querrey, on his match against Rafael Nadal.

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