FIVE THINGS TO WATCH, US OPEN DAY 11: SIZZLING SEMIS; AZARENKA-BARTY
One wonders if Venus Williams and her team took copious notes during her 6-4, 6-4 second-round loss to Elina Svitolina, as her sister Serena now gets set to face the world No. 5. Serena, the favorite in this semifinal matchup, likely won’t need any assistance, but a little extra game-planning never hurt anybody. Serena is on a mission at this year’s US Open. Aside from her one set hiccup against 17-year-old Caty McNally, she has dismantled the competition. In her quarterfinal, she laid down one of the all-time smackdowns on 18th-seeded Wang Qiang, winning 6-1, 6-0 in 44 minutes. Svitolina, who has yet to drop a single set, should provide the toughest test yet for the 23-time major champion. Serena owns a 4-1 head-to-head record over the Ukrainian but lost their last meeting at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The first Grand Slam doubles title for the superstar duo of Ashleigh Barty and Victoria Azarenka is on the horizon. High-profile singles players competing in doubles events is huge for the sport, as big names fill up stadiums, no matter the format. Excluding the iconic Williams sisters squad, Barty and Azarenka would be the first pair of…