Defending champion Venus Williams and third seed Andy Murray both cruised into the fourth round at Wimbledon yesterday, while French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and No. 6 seed Jelena Jankovic lost.

Williams moved one step closer to her third straight Wimbledon title by defeating Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-0, 6-4 at the All England Club in south-west London.

Murray, seeking to become the first British man to win the title since Fred Perry in 1936, eased past Viktor Troicki of Serbia 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.

Although rain fell on Centre Court during the match, it wasn't enough to close the new retractable roof for the first time during the tournament.

"Today was very good," Murray said in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp after his match.

"I am very happy with the first week, its getting better after each match."

Today is Middle Sunday at the two-week grass court Grand Slam, which traditionally means no play. The fourth round will get under way tomorrow.

Dinara Safina, the women's top seed, made it to the second week of Wimbledon for the first time in her career by beating Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 7-5, 6-1 yesterday.

No. 5 Kuznetsova became the highest-seeded player to exit the tournament after losing to 19-year-old German Sabine Lisicki 6-2, 7-5. Jankovic was beaten 6-7 (8-10), 7-5, 6-2 by American teenager Melanie Oudin, the 124th player in the WTA Tour rankings.

"It's the first time I'm in the second week, and I just kept telling myself, 'You have nothing to lose, just go for your shots'," 41st-ranked Lisicki told reporters.

"That's what I did in the end. It turned out to be good."

Andy Roddick, twice the men's runner-up to Roger Federer, defeated Austria's Jurgen Melzer 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 6-3.

Ana Ivanovic, a former top-ranked player who has slumped to No. 12 in the rankings, beat 19th-seeded Samantha Stosur of Australia 7-5, 6-2 to set up a match with Williams.

Williams, watched by former Wimbledon champions Martina Navratilova and Maria Bueno from the Royal Box, overpowered Suarez Navarro in the first set with hard serves and powerful ground strokes.

A fightback in the second set by the 34th-ranked Spaniard wasn't enough. Williams, who is seeking a sixth title at the All England Club to equal Billie Jean King and Suzanne Lenglen, closed out the match as Suarez Navarro hit a forehand wide.

"I was really enjoying myself out there," Williams, the No. 3 seed, told the BBC.

"She strikes the ball so well, I am happy to close it out."

Oudin, a 17-year-old playing in her first Wimbledon, had never faced a top-10 player before.

"It's unbelievable," she told reporters.

"This is my first year in the pros in Wimbledon, and I'm actually in the fourth round."

Former No. 1 Jankovic struggled with the heat as temperatures soared to 27C. A doctor had to come on the court to take her pulse after she felt dizzy and started crying at the end of the first set.

Jankovic told reporters after the match that "woman problems" had made her feel disoriented.

"It's not easy being a woman sometimes," Jankovic said.

"All these things happen. What can I do? I tried my best."

In other women's matches, ninth seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, No. 11 Agnieszka Radwanska and former champion Amelie Mauresmo advanced.

In the men's draw, former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt and Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland moved on, while Nikolay Davydenko, the No. 12 seed, lost to Tomas Berdych, the No. 20 seed, in three sets.

Tommy Haas of Germany beat Croatia's Marin Cilic in a five-set match resumed yesterday after being suspended the night before by bad light. Former top-ranked Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain also advanced, beating Chiles Fernando Gonzalez in five sets.

WIMBLEDON BLOOMBERG