Williams wins as Davenport exits

Williams - victory number 28 in the bag

Venus Williams stayed on course for gold at the Olympics with her 28th straight win, but Lindsay Davenport is out of the Games due to injury.

Defending champion Davenport forfeited her second round match with Paraguay's Rossana De Los Rios after deciding she was not fit to continue due to a foot strain.

Davenport has gone for x-rays on the foot and there are fears that she may be suffering from a stress fracture that could rule her out for the rest of the year.

She said: "It has just been a really tough year with injury.

"Not to be able to perform in a tournament that has been one of the highlights of my career - it's devastating.

Williams, who was already the firm favourite in Sydney, beat Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn in the second round.

The win leaves Williams within four matches of an Olympic gold medal to add to the US Open and Wimbledon titles she has won already this year.

Williams started with a double-fault on her first service game but did little wrong from there on in.

Davenport - foot injury ends hopes

However, she was made to work hard by the Thai number one, who put in her best performance yet against the American star.

Williams said: "The girls seem to try harder at the Olympics. I was up 4-0 and 5-1 in the second set and she kept coming back. She never stopped trying."

The girls seem to try harder at the Olympics

  Venus Williams

Williams later joined sister Serena in a first round doubles match as they defeated Candian duo Vanessa Webb and Sonya Jeyaseelan 6-3 6-1.

In other women's second round matches, fifth seed Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario beat Patricia Wartusch of Austria 6-2 6-4.

Monica Seles swept Dutch girl Miriam Oremans aside 6-1 6-1.

Amanda Coetzer, the seventh seed, had to battle for two hours 11 minutes in very hot conditions before finally ousting Luxembourg's Anne Kremer 4-6 6-3 6-4.

There was less fortune for fourth seed Conchita Martinez, who lost 1-6 6-0 6-4 against Karina Habsudova of Slovakia.

Silvija Talaja, the 13th seed from Croatia, was beaten 3-6 6-4 6-4 by the Italian Silvia Farina-Elia.