Venus and Serena reach last eight
WIMBLEDON
Date: 22 June - 5 July
 The Williams sisters remain on course to meet in the final |
Venus and Serena Williams both eased into the Wimbledon quarter-finals with victories over Ana Ivanovic and Daniela Hantuchova respectively.
Defending champion Venus was leading 6-1 1-0 when Ivanovic retired with a groin problem after lengthy treatment.
The American third seed will now play Agnieszka Radwanska, who beat 17-year-old qualifier Melanie Oudin 6-4 7-5.
Serena beat Daniela Hantuchova 6-3 6-1 and will play Victoria Azarenka after she overcame Nadia Petrova.
There was a shock on Court Four, however, as Danish ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki crashed out to Sabine Lisicki of Germany.
Wozniacki - many people's tip to go far in the women's draw - succumbed to a single break in each set to go down 6-4 6-4 and miss out on a quarter-final match-up against number one seed Dinara Safina or Amelie Mauresmo.
The Dane had her chances, but failed to convert any of her six break-point opportunities as Lisicki, the world number 41 who accounted for French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third round, held her nerve to see the match home.
Fourth seed Elena Dementieva was a 6-1 6-3 winner against fellow Russian Elena Vesnina at a scorching SW19.
Dementieva attacked from the outset and raced into a 5-0 lead before serving out the set for the loss of only one game.
Vesnina, 22, who had never previously reached the fourth round, rallied at the start of the second set but was broken at 2-2 and then again at 5-3 as Dementieva wrapped up a 69-minute victory.
The 27-year-old, a semi-finalist in 2008, will meet Virginie Razzano or Francesca Schiavone for a place in the last four.
Venus,who is now on an 18-match winning streak at Wimbledon, looked well on course for victory before a tearful Ivanovic succumbed to injury.
She raced through the opening set and has now won 30 consecutive sets at Wimbledon, a run that dates back to her third-round match against Akiko Morigami in 2007.
Highlights - Dementieva reaches last eight
Number 13 seed Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open champion, called the trainer as she battled to hold her serve in the first game of the second.
The 21-year-old Serb had her left thigh taped up but was clearly hampered and, although she went on to win the game, she retired at the change of ends.
"I think she was in a lot of pain," said Venus, who is bidding to become the first woman to win three successive Wimbledon singles titles since Steffi Graf between 1991-1993.
"I'm one of those players who only pays attention to what's going on on my side of the net. But I felt really sad for her actually. She was really upset.
"This is Wimbledon. It's the last place you want to have an injury that you can't overcome."
An all-Williams final remains possible after two-time champion Serena cruised past Hantuchova in just 56 minutes on Court Two.
Highlights - Azarenka battles into last four
The number two seed looked strong in the early stages of the opening set and found herself a break up in game four thanks to a double fault from her Slovakian opponent.
But Serena struggled in her next service game and Hantuchova, a former Wimbledon quarter-finalist, immediately claimed the break back with a perfect backhand.
The arrival of Williams' family, who had been on Court One watching Venus, seemed to give the second seed a lift, though, and some huge forehands saw her break once more in game six.
Another break quickly followed to bring an end to the first set, with world number 32 Hantuchova unable to find an answer to Serena's powerful groundstrokes.
Serena was now in control and raced into a 4-0 lead in the second set, making it seven games on the trot.
Hantuchova managed to get on the scoreboard in game five but it was too little too late for the Slovakian, who had wilted under the pressure.
Serena also held serve and then broke again in game seven when Hantuchova sent a forehand wide to clinch the win and a last eight spot.
There she will meet the number eight seed Azarenka after the Belarussian claimed a 7-6 (7-5) 2-6 6-3 win against 10th seed Petrova.
Azarenka had already won the opening set on a tie-break when she lost her discipline in the second.
The 19-year-old, unhappy with a line call, accused the umpire of "ruining the game" before going over to sarcastically shake the hand of the line judge.
Azarenka's tantrum occurred at 4-2 down in the second set as she struggled to get on top of Petrova's game and went on to lose the set.
But in a one-sided final set on Court Three, Azarenka's class eventually told and she game through powerfully to win.
