Champion Maria Sharapova, unbeaten on grass for two years, powered into the quarter-finals at Wimbledon on Monday, demolishing 16th seed Nathalie Dechy of France 6-4, 6-2 in Court One sunshine.
Guadeloupe-born Dechy put a up a brave first-set fight against the Russian second seed, who has conceded only 17 games and no sets in four rounds so far.
She had no answer to Sharapova's booming serve, however, conceding the first set to an ace and losing her own serve twice in the second.
The Russian next meets compatriot Nadia Petrova or Czech Kveta Peschke.
Meanwhile, twice former champion Venus Williams made Jill Craybas pay for having had the temerity to show her sister Serena the Wimbledon exit at the weekend by thrashing her 6-0, 6-2 in the fourth round.
Only once before had a player knocked both Williams sisters out of a Grand Slam and Craybas never looked like matching Martina Hingis's feat at the 2001 Australian Open.
Playing on the same court two where Craybas beat the younger Williams sister on Saturday, Venus restored family pride in 63 minutes to claim her place in the quarter-finals at the All England Club.
Venus, who won the women's singles in 2000 and 2001, was still not looking at her imperious best of four years ago but was not unduly troubled as she set up a last-eight meeting with France's Mary Pierce.
Craybas, ranked 85 and aged 30, held serve and broke her compatriot to open the second set but was again made to rue her presumption with her 25-year-old opponent rattling off the next six games to seal victory.
Reduced now to 14th seed at a tournament where she played in the first four finals of the new century, Venus is looking to win a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since the 2001 U.S. Open.
