Venus Williams pummelled second seed Maria Sharapova [Images] 6-1, 6-3 in the fourth round of Wimbledon on Wednesday, using her power to outplay the Russian, whose serving went from bad to worse.

Sharapova, who missed two months of this year with a shoulder injury that still needs daily treatment, struggled to hold serve and in the fourth game saved three break points before double-faulting to give Williams the advantage.

Hitting serves of up to 126 mph (202 kph) and unleashing powerful shots into all areas of the court, the American 23rd seed looked more like the Williams who has won Wimbledon three times than the one who struggled in the earlier rounds this year.

Five double faults and 12 unforced errors from the number two seed in the first set helped Williams cruise to an easy lead and she continued to dominate in the second.

The nearly two-hour rain break came at the right time for Sharapova at 1-1 in the second set.

She came back to hold serve in the third game which lasted more than 20 minutes and stretched to 13 deuces but it merely delayed the inevitable.

Williams broke in the seventh and held in the eighth for a 5-3 lead before creating two match points. She sealed her quarter-final spot on the second when Sharapova, the 2004 champion, netted a forehand.

The match had started on Tuesday but only three points were played before rain suspended play.

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