MADRID — Serena Williams advanced to the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open by beating Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1, 6-3 on Thursday.
The top-seeded Williams, who is a two-time champion in Madrid, broke the Spaniard's serve four times and saved three break points.
Williams is playing in her third tournament since clinching her sixth Australian Open title — and 19th Grand Slam singles title overall.
The top-ranked American will next meet either fourth-seeded Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic or Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania.
Earlier, defending champion Maria Sharapova advanced to the semifinals by defeating Caroline Wozniacki 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.