Venus saves four break points in straight-sets win
ZURICH, Switzerland -- Third-seeded Venus Williams defeated Alona Bondarenko 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals of the Zurich Open.
The 28-year-old Williams saved four break points in the match, one in the first set and three in the second. Bondarenko saved two match points while serving at 5-3 but sent a forehand long in the next game to end the contest.
"When the points became important, I was winning those, especially on my serve," Williams said. "I was trying to put more into coming in [to the net] on different kinds of shots."
Williams will play Francesca Schiavone, who defeated Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 7-5.
Also, 17th-ranked Flavia Pennetta cruised past Nadia Petrova 6-1, 6-1, and qualifier Sofia Arvidsson defeated Sybille Bammer 0-6, 7-5, 6-4. Katarina Srebrotnik defeated wild card Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 6-3.
Pennetta landed fewer than half of her first serves but never faced a break point. She broke Petrova's serve five times.
Pennetta will face top-ranked Jelena Jankovic.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
