Williams overpowers Obata at Pan Pacific Open

TOKYO -- Venus Williams cruised to a straight-sets victory over Japan's Saori Obata on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Pan Pacific Open.

Top-seeded Williams beat Obata 6-3, 6-4 at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

"I felt a lot of support from the crowd even though I was playing Obata," Williams said. "I don't always feel appreciated. I don't need to be everyone's hero but I like to be respected."

Williams, who lost to fellow American Lisa Raymond last month in the third round of the Australian Open, looked to be in top form Thursday. In Melbourne, Williams was coming back from a six month break caused by recurring abdominal muscle problems.

Obata broke serve in the eighth game of the second set and then held serve to pull within 5-4 but was no match for the former top-ranked Williams, who had five aces.

"I thought my serve was good today," Williams said. "I was holding serve fairly easily and got a lot of points off my serve."

Williams will face compatriot Chanda Rubin in the last eight. Fifth-seeded Rubin outlasted Japan's Akiko Morigami 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3.

"She plays a similar game to me," Williams said of Rubin. "Power tennis, risk in her game. Other than the serve, our games are pretty similar."

Defending champion Lindsay Davenport, who advanced to the quarterfinals on Wednesday, will face Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova.

Earlier, Japan's Ai Sugiyama, seeded fourth, cruised to a 6-3, 6-3 win over Belgium's Els Callens to book her place in the quarterfinals. Sugiyama will face Magdalena Maleeva of Bulgaria, who beat American Laura Granville 6-1, 6-3.

In other matches, Tatiana Panova of Russia downed compatriot Elena Dementieva 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 to set up a quarterfinal match with seventh-seeded Jelena Dokic, who was a 7-6 (9-7), 6-7 (2-7), 6-1 winner over Janette Husarova.