Easy for Venus

Belgian Malisse ends Rusedski's challenge

Venus Williams has beaten Elena Likhovtseva eight times without dropping a set. AP

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Venus Williams swept to another easy straight-set victory Tuesday as she moved into the semifinals and closer to her third straight Wimbledon title.

Justine Henin also reached the semis, beating Monica Seles in straight sets, and will face Williams in a rematch of last year's finalists. Jennifer Capriati made it to the quarterfinals.

The top-seeded Williams, who has dropped one set in five matches, crushed 48th-ranked Elena Likhovtseva 6-2, 6-0 in 44 minutes in the day's opening match on Centre Court.

It was Williams' eighth consecutive win over the Russian, all in straight sets.

Likhovtseva, the only unseeded player to reach the women's quarters, was helpless against the American's relentless power game and won only seven points in the second set.

"I'm just trying to play more solid every round, garner each point for myself," Williams said. "When it happens like it did today, it's very nice I think. I don't think she gave me a lot of errors. I had to produce most of the shots and put a lot of pressure on her."

Video Click the image to launch the clip Capriati ends Daniilidou's run, Venus and Henin advance and Kournikova survives in doubles action.Start Venus assesses the challenge ahead, and Capriati reacts. Malisse ousts Rusedski, and rain halts the Philippoussis-Krajicek match. Video Plus Visit Video Plus for all the latest video and audio.

Williams has spent only 4 1/2 hours on court in her run to the semifinals and remains a strong favorite to become the first woman to win three straight titles since Steffi Graf in 1991-93.

"Now I expect for myself to be almost perfect," she said. "When I first started, first getting to the quarterfinals, it was all new. But now I expect to be there."

Williams will next face Belgium's Henin -- whom she beat in three sets in last year's final. Henin, seeded sixth, beat No. 3 Seles 7-5, 7-6 (4) in a match that was interrupted twice by rain.

"She didn't play top players in the tournament, so maybe I have a little advantage on this part," Henin said of Williams. "But it's going to be tough for me. But today also it was difficult and I won. I'm in the semifinal and I will have nothing to lose, for sure."

It was Henin's first win over Seles after four defeats, including a quarterfinal loss at the French Open last month.

Henin broke for a 6-5 lead in the first set, saved a break point in the next game and served out the set when Seles hesitated on a floater and hit a short forehand wide.

Seles went up 4-1 in the second set but couldn't hold the lead as Henin won three straight games. Seles fought off four break points to hold for 5-4 and the two players went on serve into the tiebreaker.

Henin raced to leads of 4-1 and 6-2. Seles saved two points with an ace and a backhand winner, but sailed a backhand return long on the third.

Seles, 28, has nine Grand Slam titles but has never won Wimbledon, where she lost in the 1992 final to Steffi Graf.

"She just played the key points better than I did, both sets," Seles said of Henin. "That's why she came out the winner today."

No. 3 Capriati advanced to the quarterfinals by completing a 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 win over 38th-ranked Eleni Daniilidou of Greece. With the match suspended at one set apiece Monday, Capriati swept the final set in less than half an hour, finishing with an ace on match point.

The match resumed just before 6 p.m. after a series of rain delays throughout the afternoon. The match was moved from Court 1 to Court 18 to ensure it could be completed.

Capriati said the extra day worked in her favor.

"In that second set, she was playing pretty unbelievable," she said. "It would have been very tough to beat her if we would have kept playing. I really came out strong today."

Capriati will face ninth-seeded Amelie Mauresmo of France for a place in the semifinals.

Williams' sister, Serena, is scheduled to play Daniela Hantuchova in a quarterfinal Wednesday. The Williams sisters are on course to meet in their third Grand Slam final in 10 months.

In the first match on Court 1, Belgium's Xavier Malisse advanced to the quarterfinals by beating Britain's Greg Rusedski 6-4 in the final set of a match that had been suspended Monday evening at two sets apiece.

Malisse broke Rusedski for a 4-3 lead and served out the match three games later. After saving two break points, one with an ace, he converted on his second match point to close it out at 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Malisse jumped high in the air with his right arm extended, then dropped to his knees and bent his head down on the grass.

Malisse is the first Belgian man to advance this far at Wimbledon in the Open era -- and only the second Belgian to reach any Grand Slam men's quarterfinal. Filip de Wulf reached the semis at the French Open in 1997 and the quarters in 1998.

Play started just over an hour late on Centre Court and Court 1 after a rain delay, the second straight day of wet weather. After several rain interruptions, play was stopped for good at 7:10 p.m. (1810 GMT).

Richard Krajicek, the 1996 winner and only former men's champion left in the draw, and Mark Philippoussis were tied at two sets apiece -- all in tiebreakers -- in a fourth-round match. They will resume Wednesday.

Rusedski's defeat left Tim Henman as the last British player in the draw. No Briton has won the men's title since 1936.

 

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