Williams sisters, Ivanisevic through

Clare Lovell

Serena Williams set up a fascinating quarter-final with Jennifer Capriati on Monday when she crushed Bulgaria's Magdalena Maleeva 6-1, 6-2 at Wimbledon.

Big servers Goran Ivanisevic, three times a runner-up, and defending women's champion Venus Williams also thundered through in straight sets to prove once again that power works best on grass.

Fifth seed Serena, beaten in last year's semifinals by big sister Venus, raced through the match in 48 minutes leaving the 12th-seeded Maleeva rooted to the spot with the power of her ground strokes.

"Right now I am ready and I'm really focused," said Williams, beaten by Capriati in the quarter-finals of the French Open last month.

"I just think I might deserve this."

Elder sister Venus also looked in a hurry to get home, beating Russian Nadedja Petrova 6-2, 6-0.

The athletic second seed simply overwhelmed her inexperienced opponent wrapping up the match in 51 minutes with a combination of powerful serves and punishing ground strokes. Venus meets 1998 runner-up Nathalie Tauziat in the next round.

Capriati, seeking her third Grand Slam crown of the year, was no less imperious in her victory over 15th-seeded Frenchwoman Sandrine Testud, winning 6-1, 6-2 in 58 minutes.

POLISHED

The 25-year-old American looked polished and unruffled as she served out to love at the start of the first set. She broke the hapless Testud's service allowing the 29-year-old just one game in the 24-minute first set.

The fourth seed, who 10 years ago became the youngest player to reach the semifinals here, looks stronger with every round after victories in Australia and France.

"This was the best I have played in the tournament yet. I just have confidence...just winning matches over and over," Capriati said.

She said she told herself before the game: "Just go out here, go for it and have fun. You're doing really well."

Capriati said she was expecting Williams to play better at Wimbledon than in the French Open because she had had more match practice. "Just because I beat her there doesn't mean I'm going to take this match for granted," Capriati said.

Capriati's victim in the French Open final last month, Belgian Kim Clijsters, had to work harder to grind out a 7-6, 7-6 victory over American Meghann Shaughnessy.

Clijsters, seeded seven, struggled with her serve early in the match and then failed to convert three set points in the 12th game.

But the 18-year-old held her nerve and converted the fourth break point in the tiebreak winning 7-2. She won the second tiebreak 7-5.

Clijsters meets Lindsay Davenport, the 1999 champion, in the quarter-finals after the third seed beat Yugoslav teenager Jelena Dokic on Centre Court 7-5, 6-4.

LOFTY AMERICAN

The lofty American, who has been hampered by a knee injury for the last three months, used her heavy serve and thundering forehand to subdue 18-year-old Dokic, who lost to the American in the semifinals last year.

In the men's draw the battle of the big guns turned into a one-sided massacre as Ivanisevic bludgeoned British number two Rusedski 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 with 22 aces.

Croatian Ivanisevic, who was offered a wild card to play here, has tumbled down the rankings since losing to Pete Sampras in the 1998 final, but was in no mood to sully his 8-0 record against Rusedski coming into the match.

Ivanisevic meets Russian fourth seed Marat Safin in the quarter-finals.

U.S. Open champion Safin continued his stealthy march through the draw, finding his best 2000 form to thump Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-0, 6-3, 6-2.

Last year's finalist Pat Rafter took a while to get going before beating Russian Wimbledon debutant Mikhail Youzhny 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5.

The Australian third seed was error-prone as Youzhny, at 19 the youngest player left in the men's singles, broke twice to take the first set.

Rafter looked shell-shocked but he regained concentration to break once in the second set, and twice in the third as normal service was resumed on court two.

Youzhny, world number 85, saved five break points early in the fourth set but a double fault in the 11th game helped Rafter secure a vital break of serve and he completed the two hour 20 minute victory on his second match point.

"I thought I was going home, I really did," Rafter said. "I found it very hot today. Just muggy and difficult to breathe."

The man Rafter will meet in the last eight, 10th seed Thomas Enqvist, also suffered a shaky start losing the first nine points against Argentina's Guillermo Canas before going through 6-3, 6-3, 6-1.

Canas went away with the distinction of becoming the first Argentine since Jose Luis Clerc 22 years ago to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Bryan brothers upset top seeds in doubles

Top seeds Todd Woodbridge and Jonas Bjorkman were knocked out of the Wimbledon men's doubles in the third round by American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan.

Woodbridge won the title last year with long-time partner Mark Woodforde who has since retired. The Bryans, seeded 15, won 7-6, 7-6, 6-3.