Defending champion Serena Williams stayed firmly on course for a hat-trick of Wimbledon titles thanks to a demolition of French teenager Tatiana Golovin.

But she will now have to battle her way past old rival Jennifer Capriati after her compatriot set up a quarter-final clash of the titans.

Top seed Williams romped to a 6-2 6-1 victory on Centre Court on Tuesday, overpowering her 16-year-old opponent.

Golovin actually put up a decent fight, twice breaking the Williams serve.

But in the meantime she always struggled to hold her own delivery and was beaten in less than an hour.

The top seed hit one ace at 126mph - breaking the record for the fastest-ever serve at the championships. It was also just 1mph short of her sister Venus' all-time speed record.

Williams, who has dropped only 15 games in four matches so far, will now face Capriati in what promises to be the match of the quarter-finals.

Capriati was highly impressive as she dispatched Russian Nadia Petrova 6-4 6-4.

The American's famed serve was back in good working order - she dropped it just once.

Capriati has beaten Williams in both Rome and Paris this season and also beat her long-time rival on grass three years ago - the last person to do so in SW19.

Capriati admitted she will have to step up a gear for her quarter-final showdown.

"I will have to up my service and I can do that - it's not like I haven't done it before. It will be very important to get the initiative. She has a massive physical presence and is a tremendous athlete," she said.

"The last couple of times I played her I took advantage of her not having played much tennis and being a bit out of form. I was more focused and executed my gameplan better," she said.

Capriati also rubbished suggestions of a bitter feud with Williams - depsite the pair having clashed in that Wimbledon encounter in 2001.

Williams did little to endear herself to Capriati in that contest after claiming she was suffering from a stomach virus which forced her off the court for a brief spell in the third set.

Capriati was leading 4-0 at the stage and did not appreciate what she saw as an obvious act of gamesmanship, saying afterwards: "Every time I play her, I'm pretty much used to something going on. I think I know the truth inside. Most people do."

The 28-year-old from Florida still clinched the match but the incident soured their relationship and intensified future matches - Serena leads the series 9-6 - although Capriati insists the animosity that existed is history.

"Off the court everyone has their own lives. There is no hostility or animosity towards each other. We respect each other's games. We're not the best of friends but we're not enemies either," she said.

Capriati added: "We have played each other more than anybody else has on the women's circuit. I've said some stupid things in the past and I've learned from that. It's just a game and it should be left at that."

Meanwhile, Williams said: "We definitely have a nice rivalry going on. I like it. She's a great athlete. She can hit any ball at any spot and make it."

Williams was not completely satisfied with her performance, however, saying: "I really didn't think I played well. I wasn't moving and doing some of the things I wanted to do.

"I wanted to come in a little more and move the ball around but I guess I can't complain."

She added: "I definitely think it's there when I need it, I try to come out with a better serve when I need it."

Fourth seed Amelie Mauresmo continued her march through the draw with a straight-sets win over Silvia Farina Elia.

Mauresmo, seeded four, has yet to drop a set at the Championships and continued that run with a 7-5 6-3 victory on Court Two.

She edged a tight first set, gaining the only break in the 12th and final game.

An early break in the second was preserved successfully as the Frenchwoman, who held her own serve throughout the match, moved into the last eight where she will face Paola Suarez.

The Argentine fought back from a set down to see off Rita Grande out on Court 13.

Italian ace Grande took the first set 6-4, but then fell to pieces as Suarez upped her game in the second.

The ninth seed romped through that 6-0 and then took early control in the decider, which she eventually won 6-2.

The other half of the draw is a round ahead, so Lindsay Davenport's victory over Karolina Sprem took her into the semi-finals.

The 1999 champion ended Sprem's dream run, which had included a victory over Venus Williams, with a 6-2 6-2 win.

The young Croatian, who came into the match with an ankle problem sustained while warming up for her previous match, had no answer to Davenport's power game.

Davenport, who later admitted this was likely to be her last Wimbledon, did not face a break point in the match and broke twice in each set to record an impressive win.

She will play Russian teenager Maria Sharapova in Thursday's semi-final.

Sharapova, the 13th seed, came through a see-saw battle with Japan's Ai Sugiyama on Centre Court.

Sugiyama took the first set 7-5, but Sharapova hit back by taking the second by the same scoreline.

That seemed to revitalise the 17-year-old pin-up who then raced through the decider, winning it 6-1.

"It's amazing, I'm speechless," Sharapova said after reaching her first Grand Slam semi-final. "I don't know how it happened. I was down the whole match and felt there was no chance.

"This is a moment you live for. I always wanted to play on Centre Court but I never thought about being in the semi-finals."