Serena reaches Toronto quarter-finals

Toronto:

Second-seeded Serena Williams eased into the quarter-finals of the two million-dollar WTA hardcourt tournament here with a straight sets victory over Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko.

Williams, the reigning Wimbledon, Australian Open and US Open champion, needed only 64 minutes to subdue Bondarenko 6-1, 6-4.

The American exacted a bit of familial revenge after third-seeded Venus Williams was eliminated in the second round by Alona's sister, Kateryna Bondarenko.

Kateryna's run came to an end on Thursday at the hands of 14th-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska.

Radwanska was up 7-5, 5-3 and 40-0 when rain stopped play, and when the match resumed she duly finished off a 7-5, 6-3 victory.

In the quarters, she'll face either seventh-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva or former world number one Maria Sharapova.

Sharapova, still working her way back from shoulder surgery, headlined the night session along with another comeback kid, Kim Clijsters, who was to take on fifth-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic.

In other early matches, fourth-seed Russian Elena Dementieva, the 2008 Olympic gold medallist, beat Israeli Shahar Peer 6-1, 1-6, 6-4.

In the quarter-finals Dementieva will face Australian Samantha Stosur, a 6-3, 6-1 winner over France's Virginie Razzano.

Czech qualifier Lucie Safarova booked a shot at Serena with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 victory over China's Zheng Jie.

Russian Alisa Kleybanova toppled giant killer Aravane Rezai 6-3, 6-4. France's Rezai ousted world number one Dinara Safina on Wednesday.

Kleybanova will play either Clijsters or Jankovic in the quarter-finals.