Venus has Ivanovic in sights at Open

Melbourne:

A wide awake Venus Williams steamed into the Australian Open quarter-finals today where she will meet fourth seed Ana Ivanovic who sleepwalked into the last eight.

Polish surprise packet Agnieszka Radwanska is also through after upsetting 14th seeded Russian Nadia Petrova 1-6, 7-5, 6-0. Her reward is a meeting with either ninth seed Daniela Hantuchova or 27th seed Maria Kirilenko.

Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and Jelena Jankovic fill out the quarter-final line-up.

Williams, a six-time Grand Slam champion still searching for her first Australian title, saw off an unexpectedly strong challenge from Polish qualifier Marta Domachowska 6-4, 6-4.

Her right leg was heavily strapped high up around the thigh but she said it was nothing major.

"I've got a little something going on but it's not going to hurt anybody," said the seventh seed, adding that her failure to win the title in Melbourne was a key motivator.

"I've come close here before but my little sister Serena has taken it away from me," she said. "To win the singles would be a dream come true. But I have a lot of respect for Ana and won't be taking her lightly."

Ivanovic lost concentration against unheralded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, admitting she was sleepwalking for periods of her match against the 17-year-old Dane.

She said she was thrown off balance by her first morning match at this year's season-opening Grand Slam, but finally roused herself to score a 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) win.

"I played very well in the beginning and started to get a little bit tired in the second and a little bit sleepy," she said.