Second seed Jankovic, Williams lead way into tennis quarter-finals
Venus Williams took another step in her comeback campaign Thursday, and avenged the family honor in reaching the quarter-finals of the 1.34 million-dollar WTA Family Circle Cup.
Williams defeated Chan Yung-Jan of Taiwan 6-2, 6-1 to reach the final eight.
Chan, 17, had advanced to the third round when Australian Open champion Serena Williams, the third seed, retired with a groin injury while trailing in the first set.
A five-time Grand Slam champion, Venus Williams missed most of 2006 with a left wrist injury. But 26-year-old has been solid this season, capturing a title in Memphis.
Against Chan, Williams converted five break points in a match that lasted just 64 minutes.
In the quarter-finals, Williams will play Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues, who fashioned a 6-4, 7-5 upset of eighth-seeded Li Na of China.
Second seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia booked her quarter-final berth with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Italian Mara Santangelo.
Jankovic, ranked ninth in the world, needed just 48 minutes to dispatch Santangelo.
Jankovic's next opponent will be either Katarina Srebotnik of Slovakia, a 7-5, 7-6 (7/5) winner over Zheng Jie of China.
Fourth seed Dinara Safina of Russia advanced with a 6-2, 6-2 triumph over unseeded Spaniard Lourdes Dominguez Lino.
Safina will play France's Tatiana Golovin, who earned her first career title at Amelia Island last Sunday.
Golovin defeated China's Peng Shuai 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
Wild card Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands pulled off yet another upset, rallying for a 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-1 triumph of Austrian Sybille Bammer.
The victory came two days after Krajicek eliminated top seed Nicole Vaidisova in the second round.
Ninth-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva ousted seventh-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia 6-3, 6-3.
It was a repeat of their meeting in the Australian Open, where Zvonareva also won in straight sets.
AFP
