Serena Williams and her sister Venus Williams thrilled fans during a practice session in Washington with a stunning rally that ended with brilliance from the older sister.
Venus is making her return to the singles court in Washington this week. It will be her first singles appearance since her opening-round loss at the Chicago Women's Open in August last year.
The 42-year-old's first tournament since the Chicago Women's Open was Wimbledon. She played mixed doubles alongside Jamie Murray and reached the second round with Andy Murray's brother.
Serena was also out for close to a year with an injury. She returned by playing doubles at the Eastbourne International alongside Ons Jabeur before competing in singles at Wimbledon, narrowly losing to Harmony Tan in the first round.
Although Serena is not playing in Washington, she decided to help her sister prepare for her return by playing a practice session that was open to the public. Fans were treated to a great rally during the session.
In the rally that can be viewed below, Venus hits an excellent return off Serena's serve, putting the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion under immediate pressure and forcing her to hit a short reply.
Venus crunches two flat forehands off her next two shots. However, Serena's defense off those two shots was impressive, and she extended the rally for the engrossed fans watching the pair.
The 42-year-old hit another forehand and came into the net after it. Serena left her with a smash to win the point, but the younger sister showed incredible defense again, leaving Venus with a difficult low volley.
But Serena's work was not enough to win the point. Venus showed a delightful touch to hit a drop volley that Serena could not reach in time. The crowd gasped in admiration after the point, giving both women a deserved applause.
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