South Korean Chung Hyeon managed to hang around against Roger Federer a little longer this time around, but only just, as the Swiss maestro advanced to the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open 7-5, 6-1 on Thursday.
American Williams, seeded 10th and competing in her 20th French Open, powered 22 winners and converted six of 13 break points as she picked apart the 60th-ranked Belgian in just over an hour.
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The top seed was forced to dig deep into her vast reservoirs of experience to stave off Pliskova's challenge and emerge a 7-5, 7-6(6) winner against the gutsy Czech.
The win makes her the oldest woman to reach the third round at the French Open since Billie-Jean King in 1982.
Venus Williams, the 2000 and 2001 champion was shocked by Croatia's Karolina Sprem in the second round at Wimbledon.
After four days of play, the French Open was left without a Williams sister in the draw on Wednesday when former runner-up Venus joined 2002 champion Serena in making an early exit.
Greek teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas secured the biggest win of his career when he sent Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic packing in the third round of the Rogers Cup with a stunning 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3 win on Thursday.
With speculation rife that Rio Olympics silver medallist Venus Williams was allegedly allowed to use prohibited substance under Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) clause, Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza on Friday rubbished reports suggesting that she has demanded the All India Tennis Association (AITA) to raise the matter with the appropriate authorities.
The sun beat down from a cloudless Parisian sky on Sunday as the French Open began with a sultry Venus Williams raising the on-court temperature and French favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga almost getting caught cold.
On June 6, 2012, Venus will pass across the face of the sun, producing a silhouette that no one alive today will likely see again.
Serena Williams battered Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-4 in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon on Tuesday, seizing on moments of weakness from the Russian to ram home her advantage.
A big serve to the backhand side clattered off the racket of third-seeded twice champion Venus Williams and the Belgian, returning to the grand slam stage after more than two years away, had a 6-0, 0-6, 6-4 win and a spot in the quarter-finals.
American Venus Williams marked her return from an abdominal injury with an impressive 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 victory over Germany's Andrea Petkovic at the Eastbourne championships on Monday.
Sania Mirza will take on Venus Williams in the opening singles match at the Watson Water Champions Challenge.
The manner of her defeat inevitably led to speculation that the 37-year-old may have had a physical problem that stopped her from competing with the effectiveness she had shown in earlier rounds.
Serena Williams summoned all her fighting qualities to beat Victoria Azarenka 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 at the Australian Open on Wednesday after sister Venus's exit. Li Na earlier stunned Venus to become just the second Chinese to reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam.
Grand Slam finalists Garbine Muguruza and Roberta Vinci stormed into the last four of the Wuhan Open in China on Thursday while Venus Williams ended the giant-killing run of Briton Johanna Konta.
Champion Venus Williams powered through to her seventh Wimbledon final with a 6-1, 7-6 victory over Russian Elena Dementieva.
Champion Venus Williams and second seed Rafael Nadal survived a few anxious moments to reach the third round of Wimbledon. Williams, seeking a fifth singles title at the All England Club, had to draw on all her big-match experience to repel world number 92 Anne Keothavong 7-5, 6-2 while Nadal also endured some first-set jitters before toppling rising Latvian Ernests Gulbis 5-7, 6-2, 7-6, 6-3.
Venus Williams moved within two wins of a possible sisterly showdown with Serena in the semi-finals of the US Open by beating German 26th seed Laura Siegemund to reach the fourth round on Saturday.
Venus Williams overwhelmed third-seeded Russian Dinara Safina 6-4, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals of the Stuttgart Grand Prix.
World No 1 Serena Williams and her sister Venus tried their hand at cricket with the Melbourne Renegades players on a hotel roof top on Thursday.
Unseeded Sloane Stephens got the better of fellow-American Venus Williams in a thrilling contest to make it to her first Grand Slam final, at the US Open, in New York, on Thursday.
Venus and Serena Williams won the US Open women's doubles crown on Monday with a dominating 6-2, 6-2 victory over top seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber.
Madison Keys continued to ride her wave of success, fuelled in part by celebratory chocolate biscuits, as she advanced to her first Grand Slam semi-final with a gutsy 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Venus Williams on Wednesday.
A trio of tennis moms-Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki-are poised for comebacks at the Australian Open.
Serena Williams applied some coaching tips from older sister Venus in her 6-3 6-2 thumping of sixth-seeded Dinara Safina on Friday that put the American into the finals of the US Open.
A display of raw desire over a decade ago from sister Serena inspired Venus Williams to ascend the summit of the women's game but there will be no room for sentiment when the siblings meet for the fourth time in a Wimbledon final on Saturday.
Top seed Venus Williams was stunned in the first round of the Memphis International by Czech qualifier Petra Kvitova.
Flavia Pennetta stunned Venus Williams with an impressive 6-4, 7-6 win to reach the Bangkok Open final.
Serena Williams capped off yet another successful day at Wimbledon for America's premier tennis family as she followed up her singles triumph by winning the doubles title with sister Venus on Saturday.
The American was one game away from tumbling out but, as rain began to fall again on the grasscourt tournament, she outsmarted Akiko Morigami 6-2 3-6 7-5.
Venus Williams beat top seed Angelique Kerber on Wednesday to advance to a Miami Open semi-final against Britain's Johanna Konta.
Venus Williams suffered a shock 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 defeat by France's Virginie Razzano in the Japan Open final.
Nadia Petrova lost 6-3, 6-3 to Italy's Mara Santangelo in the second round of the Warsaw Cup.
Wimbledon champion Venus Williams blasted past Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-1 6-2 on Friday to charge into the fourth round of the U.S. Open.
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