Audio By Carbonatix
Serena Williams remains on track for a seventh Wimbledon title after seeing off Germany's Annika Beck in the third round on middle Sunday.
The American top seed won 6-3 6-0 on a Centre Court filled with spectators enjoying a surprise extra day's play following a week of rain.
Williams will next play Russian 13th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, who beat Sloane Stephens 6-7 (1-7) 6-2 8-6 .
All the fourth-round matches will be played on Monday.
'I know what it takes to win' - Serena
Beck, who beat Britain's Heather Watson in the first round, broke for a 2-1 lead against Williams but was then brushed aside.
Williams powered through 11 of the next 12 games and dropped only four points in an utterly dominant second set.
"It felt good," said the world number one.
"I wasn't sure what the stats were obviously, but on that last service game, I was thinking, 'Have I lost on my first serve yet?'
"I wasn't sure, but I just tried to stay focused. It gives me a lot of confidence. I know what it takes to win these tournaments. It's just about now just doing it."
Russians quartet through to round four
Kuznetsova fought back from 5-2 down in the final set to beat Stephens and the 31-year-old former French and US Open champion will not be overawed by facing Williams.
Despite being on the wrong end of a 9-3 record against the American, Kuznetsova beat Williams in Miami earlier this year.
"It's a great thing to play Serena in Wimbledon," said Kuznetsova. "It's a great match. I'm really happy about it. She will be the favourite but I enjoy playing these kind of matches."
Middle Sunday proved to be a successful day for Russian players, with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina also progressing.
Makarova beat Czech Barbora Strycova 6-4 6-2 to set up a last-16 meeting with Vesnina, who saw off American Julia Boserup 7-5 7-5.
Pavlyuchenkova defeated Swiss Timea Bacsinszky 6-3 6-2 and will next face American Coco Vandeweghe, who beat Italian sixth seed Roberta Vinci 6-3 6-4.
-
Follow Joy Sports on Twitter: @JoySportsGH. Our hashtag is #JoySports
Latest Stories
-
Britney Spears goes into rehab after driving under the influence arrest
19 seconds -
Mrs Constance Maku Quaynor Ruttmern aka Auntie Maku
7 minutes -
Pastor arrested over alleged attempt to bury five-month-old baby alive at Abofrem
19 minutes -
Titus Glover accuses NDC of U-turn on LGBTQ+ bill after winning power
22 minutes -
Chaos where there should be Gold: The Duffours, Bogoso & Katanomics
32 minutes -
‘Independence is not a luxury; it is a necessity’ – Amanda Clinton warns against subordinating Special Prosecutor
45 minutes -
Prudential Bank urges suppliers to embrace efficiency, ethics and trust at 2026 Conference
46 minutes -
Police begin manhunt for killers of Berekum Chelsea player after highway attack
46 minutes -
85% of Ghanaians dissatisfied with government’s LGBTQ+ stance – APL poll
51 minutes -
The infrastructure decision every growing business in Africa will face
52 minutes -
Police launch manhunt after armed robbers kill Berekum Chelsea player on highway
58 minutes -
Oscar Naasei earns high rating as Granada edge Cultural Leonesa
1 hour -
LGBTQ+ bill likely to influence 2028 vote, majority of Ghanaians indicate – APL survey
1 hour -
30 face prosecution as Kwadaso assembly intensifies sanitation crackdown
1 hour -
Ghana Gas denies wrongdoing over insurance switch, insists process was lawful
1 hour