WIMBLEDON, England – Venus Williams powered her way into the second week of Wimbledon, beating Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-0, 6-4 Saturday to reach the fourth round.
Williams is trying to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1991-93 to win three consecutive titles at the All England Club. The No. 3-seeded Williams is bidding for her sixth Wimbledon championship overall.
Williams won the first eight games against the 34th-ranked Suarez Navarro. The two played only once before, when Suarez Navarro upset Williams in the second round at the Australian Open in January.
Williams, whose younger sister Serena reached the round of 16 by winning Friday, meets 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic for a berth in the quarterfinals.
Ivanovic advanced by defeating French Open semifinalist Samantha Stosur 7-5, 6-2. The former No. 1 has dropped to 12th in the rankings after some mediocre performances but looked back to her fist-pumping best on a sun-drenched Court 2.
The 19th-ranked Stosur sought to attack Ivanovic at the net but was done in by unforced errors and the Serb's quickness.
Stosur saved a match point in the seventh game, but Ivanovic wrapped it up in the eighth with a big serve the Australian could not return.
Later Saturday, women's No. 1 Dinara Safina of Russia faced Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium. On the men's side, third-seeded Andy Murray of Britain played Viktor Troicki of Serbia.
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