Reuters

Ivanovic too strong for Venus

Updated 10.23 Wed Jan 23 2008

Keywords: Agnieszka Radwanska, Daniela Hantuchova, Ana Ivanovic, Venus Williams, Australian Open, Tennis

Venus Williams has suffered the same fate as sister Serena, a quarter-final exit at the Australian Open.

Venus lost in two sets 7-6 6-4 to the powerful baseline play of fourth seed Ana Ivanovic.

The 20-year-old Serb will meet Daniela Hantuchova in the semis after the Slovak pummelled Pole Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2 6-2

The 20-year-old Serb will meet Daniela Hantuchova in the semis after the Slovak pummelled Pole Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2 6-2.

Wimbledon champion Williams said she had nobody to blame but herself for the defeat, but added: "(Ivanovic) played well and hit a lot of good shots, so I give her a lot of credit."

Ivanovic grabbed the opportunity with both hands to take advantage of William's error-prone game.

She said: "It was an amazing match and I'm just so thrilled to be through. We had a lot of really long points and Venus is an amazing competitor."

Venus and Ivanovic took to court after a double-quick match between Hantuchova and Radwanska.

Hantuchova, 24, made the final four of a grand slam for the first time with a 6-2 6-2 victory over 18-year-old Radwanska

She said: "I think I realised that it's okay to make mistakes and it's okay to not always play my best tennis."

The other semi-final line up pits Serena's victor Jelena Jankovic against Maria Sharapova, who decisively put out tournament favourite Justine Henin - ending a 33 game winning streak for the Belgian.