Venus makes short work of Vera

Two-time winner Venus Williams exacted sweet revenge for her shock French Open defeat with a quick-fire victory over Vera Zvonareva on Wimbledon’s ‘graveyard of champions’.

The world number four, held up for an hour by drizzle, made up for lost time with a 6-1 6-3 fourth-round victory just in time to beat the next rain shower.

Williams’ victory stroll took her into the last eight for the sixth successive year and she will be full of confidence when she meets fellow American Lindsay Davenport tomorrow in a repeat of the 2000 final.

The number four seed was quickly into her stride in front of a packed Court Two, breaking her opponent twice to lead 5-0 and wrapping up the first set in just 26 minutes.

The 18-year-old Zvonareva, one of five Russian girls in the last 16, had beaten Williams in three sets at the same stage of the French Open last month but this time she was no match for the 2001 Wimbledon champion.

Zvonareva missed too many first serves and Williams mercilessly punished her weak second serve, rushing to the net at every opportunity and unleashing a series of vicious volleys.

The only hiccup for the fourth seed came early in the second set when she missed a chance to go 3-0 up and dropped her own serve to allow her opponent to go 3-2 ahead.

But Williams was able to step up a gear, increasing the pressure with two love-service games, while Zvonareva lost her composure after being upset by a combination of unkind bounces and close line-calls and slammed her racket onto the ground and the ball into the backdrop.

As the Russian teenager became demoralised, Williams won the last four games with increasing confidence and will already have one eye on Thursday’s potential semi-final with Kim Clijsters.