Williams eases through

Seles will next meet Ai Sugiyama of Japan

All the latest results from Wimbledon

Defending champion Venus Williams is safely through to the third round of Wimbledon after a straightforward 6-3 6-1 win over Spain's Virginia Ruano Pascual.

But on another day of shocks at the All England Club, fifth seed Kim Clijsters became the latest big name to fall when she lost 7-6 (7/5) 6-2 to unseeded Elena Likhovtseva.

Clijsters shoulders the blame

And Briton's Elena Baltacha kept home interest in the women's competition alive with a surprise three-set win over 32nd seed Amanda Coetzer.

Baltacha - the last remaining British woman - beat the experienced South African 5-7 6-4 6-2 to set up a third round meeting with Likhovtseva.

Baltacha shocked by win

Williams was put under immediate pressure by world number 53 Ruano Pascual when she was broken in the opening game.

But the top seed immediately levelled matters and had break points in the fourth and sixth games before breaking her opponent's serve to lead 5-3 and serve out for the set.

Williams broke Ruano Pascual at the start of the second set and then allowed the Spaniard to win just one more game before tying up a comprehensive win.

Williams now plays Maureen Drake of Canada, who beat American Jill Craybas 6-2 6-2.

Latest women's action in pictures

Fourth seed Monica Seles joined Williams in the fourth round with victory over Rossana Neffa-De Los Rios.

Henin overcame Chladkova in straight sets

Seles, who had lost her only previous outing against the Paraguayan, powered her way to a 6-4 6-0 win in a game that was all about Seles' power.

Neffa-De Los Rios offered some early resistance, but she soon wilted in the heat, failing to win a game in the second set.

Seles continued to pound away from the baseline, eventually ting up the game in 52 minutes.

Seles will next meet 27th seed Ai Sugiyama of Japan for a place in the last 16.

Clijsters' Belgian compatriot Justine Henin overcame Denisa Chladkova in straight sets to progress to the third round, but she made life hard for herself.

The 2001 runner-up was a 6-2 7-5 winner over her Czech Republic opponent, but she again showed signs of nerves.

Henin cruised through the opening set and lost just four points on the way to a 5-0 lead in the second.

But the Belgian, who also had trouble closing out her first-round game against American Brie Rippner, allowed Chladkova back into the tie.

But Henin finally saw off her opponent to set up a match with Swiss teenager Myriam Casanova.

The 1994 champion Conchita Martinez joined Henin in the third round when she beat 17th seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 6-1 6-3.

Tanasugarn on her way to victory over Jana Kandarr

Silvia Farina of Italy, seeded 10th, made a comfortable passage through to the next round courtesy of a 6-3 6-2 win over Germany's Barbara Rittner.

Jana Kandarr joined her compatriot in exiting Wimbledon at the second-round stage.

The German girl lost 6-3 6-4 to 10th seed Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand.

Barbara Schett of Austria went out in three sets to Myriam Casanova of Switzerland.

The 29th seed lost 6-3 3-6 6-3 on court seven.

Magdalena Maleeva of Bulgaria, the 19th seed, beat Switzerland's Emmanuelle Gagliardi 6-4 6-3.