Defending champion Lindsay Davenport walloped Venezuelan Maria Vento-Kabuchi 6-2, 6-1 to advance to the quarterfinals of the singles competition at the Toray Pan Pacific Open on Wednesday.
Davenport, who is the No. 2 seed and seeking her fourth Tokyo title, crushed her opponent with lightening quick service aces and won the match in just 50 minutes after Vento-Kabuchi double-faulted on the second match point at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
Davenport will now face eighth seed Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova, who defeated 16-year-old Russian Maria Sharapova 7-6 (8-6), 6-1.
In other matches, Japan's Akiko Morigami, ranked 62nd, bounced out compatriot Shinobu Asagoe 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) to set up a meeting with American Chanda Rubin.
Morigami, making her first appearance in the main draw after going through the qualifying round, broke Asagoe in the second set en route to winning the tiebreak 7-5.
"This is a big boost to my confidence. I just wanted to give my all in playing today," said Morigami.
In other first round matches, glamour girl Jelena Dokic of Serbia and Montenegro defeated Zimbabwe's Cara Black 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1, while Rubin was a 6-3, 6-0 winner over Rita Grande of Italy. Belgian Els Callens beat Lina Krasnoroutskaya of Russia 6-3, 6-4.
In first-round doubles, top seed Martina Navratilova, who is set to retire at the end of this season, partnered American Lisa Raymond and breezed past Katarina Srebotnik and Tina Krizan of Slovakia 6-1, 6-0.
Top seed Venus Williams, competing in just her second tournament after a six-month absence due to an abdominal injury, takes on local favorite Saori Obata in a second round match on Thursday.