Venus Williams Advances to Second Week of Wimbledon
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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.
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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.
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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.