ROME, May 15 (UPI) -- No. 1 Serena Williams was among those advancing to the quarterfinals Thursday at the Italia Masters claycourt tournament.
Second seed Kim Clijsters of Belgium, No. 4 Amelie Mauresmo of France and No. 5 Jennifer Capriati joined Williams in the quarterfinals.
The defending champion, Williams beat Nathalie Dechy of France for the fifth time in as many meetings, 6-3, 6-0 on Thursday.
The American's next opponent will be unseeded Spaniard Conchita Martinez, who defeated seventh-seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova, 6-3, 6-3. Martinez won four straight titles in Rome beginning in 1993.
Williams started the year by winning her first 21 matches, a streak that ended with a loss to Justine Henin-Hardenne in the Charleston final.
Clijsters took just 55 minutes to beat Cara Black of Zimbabwe, 6-0, 6-3. The Belgian is looking to make the semifinals in her eighth tournament this year when she faces Anastasia Myskina of Russia. Clijsters has 12 tournament wins, but this year's event at Indian Wells was her first Tier I triumph.
Myskina advanced with a 6-4, 7-5 win against countrywoman Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Mauresmo also coasted to a 6-0, 6-3 win over Anna Pistolesi of Israel. The hard hitting Frenchwoman beat Pistolesi for the third successive week and will square off against Capriati in the quarterfinals.
Mauresmo has nine WTA titles, including a win over Venus Williams in the finals of this year's Warsaw event.
Capriati recovered from a shaky first set and defeated Nadia Petrova of Russia, 7-5, 6-3.
Also, 13th-seeded Ai Sugiyama of Japan ousted Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, 6-2, 6-1 and Slovakian Tina Pisnik rallied past Emile Loit of France, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.
