Mixed day for Williams sisters

Tennis : Serena Williams lost out in the latest battle of the most fierce rivalry in women's tennis with a 6-4 3-6 6-3 quarter…

Tennis: Serena Williams lost out in the latest battle of the most fierce rivalry in women's tennis with a 6-4 3-6 6-3 quarter-final defeat at the hands of Justine Henin but big sister Venus had plenty to smile about after a rare victory over Maria Sharapova.

Henin is chasing the one grand slam title she needs to complete her collection and won the first set after Williams dropped serve at 4-4.

The American, sporting a bandage on the left calf she injured so dramatically against Daniela Hantuchova on Monday, hit back, winning the second set on a Hawkeye challenge after an ace had been called out.

Henin blazed to a 5-1 lead in the decider with Williams looking flat-footed. The eighth seed fought valiantly to mount a comeback but Henin held her nerve to claim victory on her second match point.

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Venus Williams produced a brilliant display to overpower and outplay second seed Sharapova in their delayed fourth round clash.

Williams served superbly and came out on top in a battle of thunderous groundstrokes to seal a 6-1 6-3 victory in less than an hour and book a quarter-final clash with another Russian, Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The victory could easily have been even more emphatic, Williams winning just four of her 19 break points, but it was clear to see why her father Richard was jumping for joy in the players' box after a command performance.