Williams puts on stylish show as Serena looks on

New York: A stylish Venus Williams gave a commanding performance with little sister Serena looking on as she trounced qualifier Mandy Minella of Luxembourg to reach the fourth round of the US Open on Friday.

Third-seeded Williams needed two service games to find her bearings and then raced to a 6-2, 6-1 win as the 185th-ranked Minella managed to win just a single game on serve. The first five games of the Arthur Ashe Stadium match produced service breaks before Williams took charge. Minella, 24, finally held serve after seven deuces in the fifth game of the second set, celebrating with a fist pump to cheers from the centre court crowd. Williams won with style, wearing a sparkling, short black dress with revealing cut-outs in the back. Not to be outdone, world number one Serena Williams, sidelined with a foot injury, wore a red dress in the player`s box that earned her approval from her older sister. "Serena is looking rather sexy tonight," said Venus, a seven-time grand slam winner who designs her own outfits. "She looks lovely in red." Williams, 30, has worn three different dresses for her first three matches at Flushing Meadows and was asked about her fashion outlook should she carry on to the finals."Seven is a lot of dresses," Venus said. "That would be an honor to wear seven dresses all the way through." Williams, who has two US titles and five Wimbledon crowns, will next play 16th seed Shahar Peer of Israel, who beat Flavia Pennetta of Italy, the 19th seed, 6-4, 6-4. Bureau Report