Venus spellbound eight years on

By Pritha Sarkar

LONDON (Reuters) - It has been eight years since Venus Williams won the first of her grand slam titles at Wimbledon and the American said some things never changed.

As Williams stood just two games away from winning a fifth Rosewater Dish, she tried to recall what she was doing during her maiden Wimbledon title charge.

"I'm not sure what that girl in 2000 was thinking," seventh seed Williams said after dispatching Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-4 6-3 in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.

"I think she was reading a Harry Potter book. The 28-year-old Venus also reads the Harry Potter book, so not much has changed. It's still good times, and I love that," she grinned.

This year Williams, who also owns two U.S. Open trophies, has sliced through the draw to reach the last four for the seventh time.

The mass exodus from this year's championships, where none of the top four seeds reached the last eight, has meant that Williams has enjoyed trouble-free passage to the last eight.

It has come as little surprise that she has yet to drop a set since her five opponents have been ranked 197th, 92nd, 101st, 42nd and 60th.

So high has been her confidence, Williams knows every time she steps on court her serves will cut through the slick grass and her groundstrokes, less effective on red clay, will strike fear into most opponents.