Serena Williams of the US (R) embraces her sister and compatriot Venus Williams after defeating her in their quarterfinals match at the US Open Championships tennis tournament in New York, September 8, 2015.  [Photo/Agencies]

NEW YORK - Serena Williams kept her bid for a calendar-year grand slam on track, powering past big sister Venus 6-2 1-6 6-3 on a steamy star-studded night at the US Open on Tuesday.

Serena moved into the semifinals, just two wins from history, in what proved the toughest test of her four matches.

It is a major tennis event whenever the Williams sisters clash, and with Venus, twice a US Open winner, standing in the way of defending champion Serena's quest, their latest meeting turned into a primetime extravaganza, pulling in a crowd of A-listers including US presidential candidate and real estate mogul Donald Trump and television celebrity Oprah Winfrey.

Playing under the bright lights on the biggest stage in tennis, the Williams show crackled with more tension and drama than a Broadway production, relegating men's champion Marin Cilic to a warmup act while world number one Novak Djokovic pulled mop up duty.

The Williams sisters had met 26 times before but never with so much riding on the result.

A win by Venus would move her a step closer to a first Grand Slam since 2008 Wimbledon but would scuttle Serena's chances of joining their sport's most exclusive club of calendar-year Grand Slam winners which comprises just three members, Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court and Steffi Graf.