Second seed Venus Williams advanced to the quarter-finals of the $6,5-million WTA and ATP Masters Series event on Monday by beating Italy’s 15th-seeded Francesca Schiavone 6-1, 6-3.
The 62-minute triumph sent Williams into a Wednesday matchup against Russian fifth seed Elena Dementieva, who ousted Serbian 12th seed Jelena Dokic 5-7, 6-1, 6-3.
With two-time defending champion Serena Williams also in the quarter-finals, Venus could join her younger sibling in an All-Williams final, the first since each suffered through a long injury layoff.
Serena missed eight months after defeating Venus in last July’s Wimbledon final. She underwent left knee surgery in August while Venus sat out six month with an abdominal strain.
Venus, a three-time champion here, connected on 77 percent of her first serves while Schiavone managed only a 50 percent success rate. — Sapa-AFP