Williams sisters find old groove of menace and brutality

Nine minutes. That was the difference between the Williams sisters yesterday. 1pm starts. Emerging Russians as opponents. Only four games dropped. Straight-sets victories. Serena was just a little more lethal in the 51 minutes of her execution. It was awesome stuff. Beginning the second week of the tournament the holder and her double-winning big sister played their best tennis so far (although Venus, as is her wont, later disputed this). The warning signs beat across the courts as hard as the morning rain.

Their passage into the last eight has not been serene - it has been far too brutal at times for that - but, after a variety of tribulations before Wimbledon, they have got their groove back. Two all-American quarter-finals will now take place. Venus is up against the former champion Lindsay Davenport, the last woman without the surname Williams to hold aloft the silver plate. Serena, meanwhile, will play Jennifer Capriati, herself revitalised and seeded eight. "We Americans are doing pretty good now," said the world No 1, as she goes into her 52nd week holding that ranking, and who has dropped just 22 games in her four matches. Awesome indeed.

There was a menace about her yesterday. Serena punched into a 4-0 lead in the first set and it appeared that her opponent, Elena Dementieva, was heading for the quickest defeat in Centre Court history. She certainly made the quickest exit at the end, rushing off court while Serena was still completing a celebratory pirouette that was as smooth as her serve. It was not particularly gracious from the loser - although shell-shock is a terrible thing.

Dementieva, the 21-year-old, seeded 16, has professed a desire to pursue a career as a vet. But, in that first set, she was a rabbit caught in the headlights. The biggest threat to Serena seemed to be the huge looped ear-rings she was wearing. The Russian's serve was shredded, her resolve appeared broken. Having come on to the scene with a flourish three years ago - with a semi-final appearance at the US Open and an Olympic silver medal - Dementieva was choking on the tag of being a "Kournikova who can win". Then the sound of breaking glass crockery dropped outside the court appeared to rouse her. She held her powder-puff serve and, using her best, indeed her only weapon, a cross-court forehand, she broke back. The resistance grew but so did Serena's response. Dementieva, trying to play on the front foot, was forced time and again to play her shots from deep behind the baseline. Such was the power she faced as she was beaten back. At one point she let out a scream. It was like a wounded animal.

Into the second set and it was simply a matter of time. Serena's serve, averaging an astonishing 102mph, was never again threatened and brutal groundstrokes picked off her victim: 6-2, 6-2 and it was over.

Over on Court 2 Venus was mocking the "seeds' graveyard". "I like Court 2. I'm OK with that," as she defeated Vera Zvonareva, 6-1, 6-3. It seemed a long time since the Russian had prevailed at the same stage of the French Open even though it was just last month. "That's in the past," Venus said later after she progressed to her sixth consecutive Wimbledon quarter-final.

"I think the circumstances were different in both matches. Last time she was a better player, despite anything that might have happened." Venus dominated, as the score suggests, but although her 18-year-old opponent lost the first five games, each went to 30-30 - evidence of Zvonareva's reputation for phenomenal consistency. The loser did have one opportunity, winning three consecutive games in the second set to lead 3-2 but was then broken twice.

Despite the impressive, at times flawless, performance Venus was a little more critical of herself, with her erratic serve - just 53 per cent of first serves were successful - a cause for some concern. "I was a little bit off my game, but it's impossible to play perfect every match," she said. Perfection, no. But, yesterday, something pretty damn close.