Venus Williams in action at Flushing Meadows on Saturday. (Reuters)

New York: Wimbledon champion Venus Williams marched into the fourth round of the US Open with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 victory over Ukrainian 27th seed Alona Bondarenko on Saturday.

The American seventh seed hammered down nine aces and lashed 32 winners to set up a clash with ninth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.

“It always helps when I don’t make a lot of errors,” Williams said in a courtside interview. “She is a very good player, very consistent, so I knew I had to be aggressive and it all went well today.”

The 2000 and 2001 champion, who last reached the final in New York in 2002, fired three aces in the opening game of the match and never looked back.

After easing through the first set, she stepped up another gear in the second and romped to victory in 56 minutes.

In men’s action, Sam Querrey (US) beat 14th seeded Ivo Karlovic of Croatia 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5), 6-2.

On Friday, a drizzly Flushing Meadows proved an inhospitable place for former champions Svetlana Kuznetsova and Lindsay Davenport, with both skidding out in the third round.

The major casualty of the day was women’s No. 3 seed and former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, who was beaten 6-3, 6-7 (1-7), 6-3 by Slovenian No. 28 seed Katarina Srebotnik.

Davenport’s defeat was less surprising as she came up against French 12th seed Marion Bartoli and went down 6-1, 7-6 in a blaze of double faults.

Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick and Jelena Jankovic did not have it all their way either but lived to fight another day, unlike Kuznetsova who cut a sorry figure as she trudged out after suffering her worst show in New York for three years.

It was the first time the Slovenian 28th seed reached the fourth round at the Open in 10 attempts. The number 10 was also significant for Davenport as it has been a decade since she won her first Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows.

On Friday, fans may have caught their final glimpse of the 32-year-old on a singles court. Uncharacteristically, her latest defeat was peppered with an alarming number of double faults.

Federer, still getting used to his place at the bottom of a draw after being deposed as world No.1 by Rafael Nadal last week, should have strolled into the third round as he was playing a Brazilian qualifier who had not played a tour-level match this season before arriving at Flushing Meadows.

Instead Thiago Alves ignored his status as the 137th best player in the world and Federer the run around before he eventually prevailed 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.

“ He did well. It was a really difficult match. I’d never heard of him before and that’s what sometimes makes it difficult,” Federer, aiming to become the first man since Bill Tilden in 1924 to win five in a row here, said courtside.

Federer racked up 46 unforced errors and converted only four of his 15 break points.

Andy Roddick thrilled his home crowd by coming back from a set down and trailing in the second against young Latvian Ernests Gulbis, who was near perfect in the opening set, booming in his first serves and ripping winners from all angles.

Roddick withstood the onslaught from Gulbis to win the second-round match 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 7-5 in a late night session during which both players celebrated birthdays as the clock struck midnight. Roddick turned 26 and 40th-ranked Gulbis left his teenage years behind to turn 20.

Djokovic too ran into a spot of bother in his opening set when he had to save two set points but took it in his stride to subdue American qualifier Robert Kendrick 7-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Meanwhile, Jelena Jankovic is trying to reach her first Grand Slam final. With Justine Henin retired, Maria Sharapova hurt, Ivanovic out and the Williams sisters in the opposite half of the draw, this seems to be her best chance.

Elena Dementieva ended the run of Briton Anne Keothavong 6-3, 6-4. Next up for the Russian will be China’s Li Na.