Eastbourne, Jun 15: Venus Williams eased into the quarterfinals at Eastbourne with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 win over Ana Ivanovic on Wednesday.
The unseeded American, playing her second match following a five-month layoff, served well against the former No. 1 and didn't face a single break point in the first set while breaking Ivanovic twice.
Ivanovic had her one and only break point at 1-0 in the second set but Williams sent down a 196 kph (122 mph) first serve to save it before breaking twice more.
Williams will face French Open champion Li Na or Daniela Hantuchova in the next round.
The 30-year-old Williams was in much better form Wednesday than in her first match in Eastbourne, a three-set struggle against eighth-seeded Andrea Petkovic.
As well as her serve, Williams looked to have rediscovered the timing on her forehand and it was a series of big hits off that wing that earned her the first break of the match at 2-1.
Ivanovic, who reached her first semifinal of the year in Birmingham last week, kept the match competitive with some crowd-pleasing winners, including a delicate backhand, cross-court pass that left Williams completely flat-footed and set her on the way to a break point early in the second set.
However, Williams always looked in control as she improved her record against Ivanovic to 7-1. AP
