The closure of the Centre Court roof prompted a burst of brilliance from Serena Williams as the reigning Wimbledon champion powered past Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 6-0 Monday to remain on course for a seventh title at the All England Club.
Williams, who has claimed the women's singles crown on each occasion she has made it past round four in the last seven years, was initially made to work hard in her round-of-16 clash.
However, it was one-way traffic after concerns over moisture on the surface prompted the roof to be utilized with the match intriguingly poised at five games apiece.
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Kuznetsova, the 13th seed, had failed to serve out the opening set prior to the interruption and was blown away thereafter as Williams, whose first serve proved potent throughout, hit top gear in an ominous display.
The early signs were not good for Kuznetsova, who failed to get a return in play during the third game and was then broken in the next amid a succession of Williams winners.
Kuznetsova swiftly and somewhat surprisingly turned things around, but was unable to win another game after breaking for a 5-4 lead.
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When play resumed following a short delay, Williams secured the opening set with a stinging backhand return before hurrying through the second, which lasted only 20 minutes.
The world No. 1 finished with 43 winners and will now face another Russian, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, in the quarterfinals.