Venus Williams used all her power to overwhelm Daniela Hantuchova in straight sets.

The 21-year-old defending champion endured a couple of tricky moments but showed maturity to power her way to an ultimately convincing victory.

But her Slovakian opponent showed enough during this rain affected match to suggest she will be a force in later years.

Although Williams took the first set 6-3, there was much more to it than the score suggests.

But Williams used the power of her serve to save those breaks and finish the match with an ace.

And she believes she is going to find her best form at the crucial time of the tournament.

"I'm not that far away at all. I just think at times - I think I'm setting up well, moving my feet well, I think I'm serving quite well also.

"But sometimes I'm just a little bit off with my shots, the contact point.

"Really it's not about who's playing the best, it's about who's making the decisions at the right times, who's playing the right points well."