Wimbledon, England (Sports Network) - Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva advanced into the fourth round at Wimbledon Friday, posting straight set victories at the All England Club.
Williams has now reached at least the fourth round in eight of her 10 appearances in the only grass Grand Slam of the year, needing 1 hour, 7 minutes to post a 6-3, 6-4 win over Italy's Roberta Vinci. This was the first- ever meeting between the two players.
A 10-time major titlist and two-time Wimbledon champion, Williams had her serve broken twice but managed to record four breaks of serve, winning 65 of the 116 total points. She used her powerful ground game to push past Vinci, blasting 34 winners to her opponent's 14.
The second-seeded Williams has set up a fourth round matchup with Daniela Hantuchova, whom she has beaten six out of seven times in her career. Hantuchova is in the fourth round of Wimbledon for the third time in four years after ousting Japan's Ai Sugiyama 6-4, 6-3 in 1 hour, 36 minutes.
Williams and Hantuchova have met twice at Wimbledon, in 2007 and 2002, with Williams taking both matches.
Dementieva, the fourth seed and reigning Olympic gold medalist, was an easy 6-1, 6-2 winner over fellow Russian compatriot Regina Kulikova. Like Williams and Vinci, it was the first time the two have played each other. Kulikova was playing in her first-ever Grand Slam tournament and upset 27th-seed Alisa Kleybanova in three sets in the second round.
The two-time major finalist Dementieva is still in search of her first major crown, having been a semifinalist in the previous three Grand Slam events. In only 59 minutes, Dementieva won 58-of-86 points, forcing her opponent into 21 unforced errors.
Next up for the Russian star is Elena Vesnina, whom Dementieva has beaten twice in as many tries. Vesnina went the distance with 14th-seeded Dominika Cibulkova but was able to pull off a 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 victory in a grueling 3 hours, 3 minutes.
In other third round action, 26th-seeded Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano ensured her best-ever Wimbledon finish with a walkover victory over seventh-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva. Zvonareva was forced to withdraw due to an ankle injury -- originally suffered in an April match against Razzano -- that caused her to miss eight weeks earlier in the season.
Razzano will next play Francesca Schiavone, who defeated 12th-seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli 7-6 (7-5), 6-0. Schiavone, the 43rd-ranked player in the world, was no stranger to performing well against Bartoli, having now beaten her in four of five career matchups. The 29-year-old Schiavone also ensured her best-ever finish at the All England Club with the victory.
Tenth-seeded Nadia Petrova of Russia recovered after losing the first set to defeat unseeded Argentine Gisela Dulko 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Petrova used a solid ground game to come back for the victory, posting 33 winners to only 17 for Dulko.
Petrova will move on to face rising Belarussian star and eighth seed Victoria Azarenka, who posted a 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 win over 28th-seeded Sorana Cirstea to move on to the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time. Azarenka recently had her best Grand Slam finish, advancing to the quarterfinals at the French Open earlier this month. Azarenka has faced Petrova three times, with Petrova winning two, including a third round battle in last year's Wimbledon.
The third round is set to conclude on Saturday before the traditional off day on Sunday. Third-seeded Venus Williams will continue her quest for a third straight Wimbledon title with a matchup against unseeded Carla Suarez Navarro, while top-ranked Dinara Safina will try to move into Wimbledon's fourth round for the first time in a battle against Kirsten Flipkens.
Also set to play on Saturday is reigning French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, who will face Sabine Lisicki. Other top-10 seeds set to play are sixth-seeded Jelena Jankovic, who will play Melanie Oudin, and ninth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, who will go against 20th-seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues.
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