Venus blazes into 4th round with sister

WIMBLEDON, England – One swing from completing her week’s work, Venus Williams toed the baseline, dribbled the ball, gave it a toss and delivered yet another thunderclap serve at sun-kissed Wimbledon.

The ace bounced off the Court 1 backstop as Williams trotted to the net to bid another foe farewell.

The scoreboard said 127 mph, the fastest women’s serve recorded at Wimbledon. The scoreboard also had Williams winning 6-1, 7-5 Saturday over qualifier Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.

It was an upset-filled first week at Wimbledon and a rough one for American tennis, but the nonconformist Williams sisters ignored both trends. Four-time champion Venus and two-time champion Serena won three matches each without dropping a set.

Both advanced to Monday’s round of 16, as did No. 2-ranked Rafael Nadal on the men’s side.

With No. 1-ranked Ana Ivanovic and No. 2 Maria Sharapova eliminated, and with No. 3 Jelena Jankovic limping to victory Saturday, prospects look good for an all-Williams final next weekend.

“The chances were wonderful from the beginning, from round one,” Venus said. “That’s how we see it. The more we progress, obviously the closer it gets.”

It would be their first meeting in a Grand Slam final since Serena beat Venus for the 2003 Wimbledon title.

Potential pitfalls remain, Jankovic foremost among them. But she hurt her left knee in the first set against 17-year-old Caroline Wozniacki.

Jankovic won 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, finishing the match with her leg heavily wrapped. She planned to have an MRI exam before facing Tamarine Tanasugarn on Monday.

Alla Kudryavtseva had a successful encore to her upset of Sharapova, reaching the fourth round at a major event for the first time by beating Peng Shuai 6-3, 1-6, 6-4.

With a late start on Centre Court, Nadal barely beat darkness but easily defeated Nicolas Kiefer 7-6 (3), 6-2, 6-3. Runner-up to Roger Federer the past two years, Nadal is trying to become the first man to consecutively win the French Open and Wimbledon since Bjorn Borg in 1980.

On Monday he’ll play No. 17-seeded Mikhail Youzhny, but the marquee men’s match Monday will be five-time defending champion Federer against 2002 winner Lleyton Hewitt.

Venus Williams will play Alisa Kleybanova, and Serena Williams faces unseeded Bethanie Mattek, the only other remaining American.