- Barry Janoff

Venus and Serena WIlliams have not given up hopes of winning the title at the U.S. Open, which begins today. But they have taken on another challenge: Winning the championship at the Oreo Double Stuf Racing League.

In a TV spot breaking today, via Draftfcb, New York, the Williamses are holding a press conference to announce, "We have joined the DSRL." But the Mannings are in the audience, and Peyton interrupts with, "Great idea—when we thought of it, like, a year ago." The gauntlet has been thrown as Venus replies, "You guys are going down." Unmoved, Peyton says, "Oohh, we're scared."

Support includes print, Internet and a sweepstakes offering a trip to the DSLR "training camp" in the Bahamas and a DSRL training kit (a T-shirt, milk glasses and coupons for Nabisco's Double Stuf Oreos). Spend was not disclosed.

DSRL is a fictional competition that plays off the way consumers eat Oreos. A Nabisco Web site enables people to compete in the DSRL as animated versions of the Mannings; Williams characters are expected to be available this week. Nabisco would like to have the same karma with the Williamses as they did with the Mannings.

The Mannings "launched" the DSRL earlier this year with a campaign that included a spot that ran during Eli Manning's Super Bowl victory by the New York Giants. The Williamses won the tennis doubles gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Beijing.