Venus has Ivanovic in sights at Open

MELBOURNE: A wide awake Venus Williams steamed into the Australian Open quarter-finals on Monday 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.   

He 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.

"This is the first time I've played the first (morning) match and I was sleeping in through the whole week really long in the morning, today I had to wake up really early." 

But she said she was ready to take revenge against Williams, who beat her at the last two Grand Slams -- US Open and Wimbledon. 

"Last two Grand Slams I lost to her. It's exactly the time for some revenge," said the Serbian.    "I think I'm a little bit of a different player than I was last time I played her. I got even fitter and stronger on the court."

Roger Federer resumes his sprint for a 13th Grand Slam title against 13th seeded Czech Tomas Berdych, keen to avoid the sort of scare he was given in the third round when Janko Tipsarevic took him to five sets.

Should he win, the world number one will take on either American 12th seed James Blake or Croat Marin Cilic in the quarter-finals.   

Also gunning for the last eight Monday will be third seed Novak Djokovic who plays Australian hero Lleyton Hewitt, who like Federer was pushed to a gruelling five sets in his last match by Marcos Baghdatis.

Hewitt's match against the Cypriot was the latest-ever finish in Grand Slam history at 4.33am on Sunday, and how he backs up will be closely watched with organisers criticised for allowing a midnight start to his last match.

The other fourth round match is an all-Spanish affair between fifth seed David Ferrer and 22nd seed Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Rafael Nadal, Jarkko Nieminen, Mikhail Youzhny, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are already thtrough.