Carlsbad, August 3:

Venus Williams beat Daniela Hantuchova again on Thursday night, eliminating the No 6

seed from the Acura Classic with a 6-0, 6-3 victory.

Williams, seeded 10th, beat Hantuchova for the ninth time without a loss. The reigning Wimbledon champion, who won this event from 2000-02, moved into the last eight, where she will meet Russia’s Anna Chakvetadze.

Earlier, Maria Kirilenko earned the biggest victory of her career with a 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 win over No 3 ranked Jelena Jankovic.

Kirilenko’s victory moved five Russian players into quarter-finals, including No 1 seed Maria Sharapova. The defending tournament champion advanced with a 6-0, 6-3 win over No 13 Tatiana Golovin of France.

No 11 Patty Schnyder won a match-up of Swiss players with a 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3 victory over seventh-seeded Martina Hingis in a third-round match. Schnyder has beaten Hingis in three of five career meetings.

Of the remaining Russians, ninth-seeded Elena Dementieva was the most impressive

with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over No 5 seed Marion Bartoli of France. Third-seeded Chakvetadze advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Japan’s Ai Sugiyama for her 11th straight victory. No 4 seed Nadia Petrova was a 6-3, 7-6 (10) winner over Slovenia’s Katarina Srebotnik.

Eighth-seeded Dinara Safina of Russia was beaten by India’s Sania Mirza, 6-1. 6-2. Mirza is coming off a runner-up finish to Chakvetadze in the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford.

Legg Mason

WASHINGTON: Former world number ones Andy Roddick and Marat Safin overcame tight three-set struggles to advance to the quarter-finals of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, a warm-up ahead of the US Open.

Roddick saved three break points in the final set to beat Czech Radek Stepanek 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 while Safin finally got the better of Robin Haase of the Netherlands 7-5, 6-7 (2), 7-5.

Roddick will face No 5 Hyung-Taik Lee, who beat Julien Benneteau 2-6, 6-2, 6-3. Second-seeded Tommy Haas had considerably less trouble earning his spot in the quarter-finals, beating No 16 Michael Russell 6-3, 6-4.

Up next for Haas is upstart American John Isner, who beat Wayne Odesnik 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2). France’s Gael Monfils outlasted Michael Berrer 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3 to also book a spot in the quarter-finals, where he will meet Safin.

Also reaching the quarters was seventh-seeded Ivo Karlovic, who had 19 aces and got in 82 per cent of his first serves in a 6-2, 6-4, win over Vince Spadea. Karlovic, who has served 37 aces in his two matches, will play Paul Capdeville. He advanced by beating 2002 Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson 7-6 (5), 6-3.