Williams sisters dreaming of California final

Stanford: The Williams sisters remained on course for another final showdown when the top two seeds eased into the last eight of the Stanford Classic with routine second round victories.Wimbledon champion Serena needed a second set tiebreak to overcome Hungary`s Melinda Czink 6-3, 7-6, while big sister Venus advanced with a 6-1, 7-5 win over Russia`s Alla Kudryavtseva.

Top seed Serena struggled to master left-handed Czink`s fierce forehand but the American`s greater experience proved vital, especially in staving off a set point with a clever serve when the Hungarian led 7-6 in the tiebreak. The world number 56 then missed two forehands to hand Serena the set and the match. "I`ve been off this whole week," said Serena, who sent down 10 aces in setting up a quarter-final against Australia`s Samantha Stosur. "She served pretty well towards the end, especially big second serves. I could have returned better." Stosur held match points against the American in Sydney earlier this year and watched her opponent from the stands on Thursday. "She should be very confident going into the match," Serena said. "Hopefully I`ll be playing a little better tomorrow (Friday)." Venus faced less of a struggle than her younger sister, but was tested in the second set against the hard-hitting Kudryavtseva. Bureau Report