Serena Williams, seeking a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam crown, has stayed on course with a comfortable third-round Wimbledon victory over Germany Julia Goerges.
In a rematch of last year's semi-final, Williams prevailed 6-3 6-4 to reach the last 16 at the All England Club for the 16th time.
"It's been an arduous year for me so every match I'm trying to improve. Every time I go out there I try. I'm getting a really late start, but I try," the American said.
Williams had not dropped a set in her four previous encounters with Goerges, and she maintained that record to demonstrate that, at 37, she remains a major contender for the title.
The 11th seed will next play Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro on Monday and could run into Australia's world No.1 Ashleigh Barty in the quarter-finals.
Barty plays unseeded American Alison Riske next after swatting aside British wildcard Harriet Dart 6-1 6-1 in 53 minutes.
Riske upset Swiss 13th seed Belinda Bencic 4-6 6-4 6-4.
Two-time champion Petra Kvitova looms as a potential threat to Barty and Williams after marching into the last 16 with a 6-3 6-2 win over Poland's Magda Linette.
Like Barty, sixth-seeded Kvitova has yet to drop a set these championships.
Kvitova will play either British hope Johanna Konta or ninth-seeded American Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion, for a place in the quarter-finals.
But Dutch fourth seed Kiki Bertens was eliminated after being upset by Barbora Strycova in the third round.
Bertens, a quarter-finalist last year, saved match point in her second-round victory over Taylor Townsend but was unable to find the same powers of recovery as Strycova eased to a 7-5 6-1 victory.
The fiery 33-year-old Czech is a known danger on grass. She made her debut at Wimbledon 16 years ago and reached the quarter-finals in 2014.
Strycova, ranked 54, will play Belgium's Elise Mertens, who battled past 15th seed Wang Qiang.
Bertens is the second of the top four seeds to fall after Naomi Osaka's first-round loss to Yulia Putintseva.
Only half the women's top 10 seeds remain - Kvitova, Stephens, Barty, second seed Karolina Pliskova and seventh seed Simona Halep.
AAP
