Williams crushes Kirilenko

Serena Williams advanced to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open with another masterclass on Rod Laver Arena.

Russian opponent Maria Kirilenko was barely in the contest as Williams cruised to a 6-2 6-0 win in under an hour.

She will face fellow American Sloane Stephens in the next round after the 19-year-old continued her impressive run by beating Serbia's Bojana Jovanovski 6-1 3-6 7-5.

Some observers have claimed Williams is playing a role in overseeing Stephens' progress, but the world number three insists she is nothing more than an interested spectator in her career.

"I would need a better definition of the word 'mentor'," she said. "I just feel like the older one and maybe some of the younger players look up to me.

"It's hard to be a real mentor when you're still in competition.

"I don't feel any responsibility (towards her). I doubt she has any expectations of me to be responsible for anything. Maybe she does. I don't know."

Stephens has been tipped to follow in the Williams sisters' footsteps and become the next great player to emerge from the US. And Williams was impressed when they met two weeks ago in Brisbane.

"I took a lot from that match," she said of the 6-4 6-3 win.

"She plays well. Like I said after the match, she can be the greatest player. I feel like it will be another good match and a good opportunity for both of us. One of us will definitely be in the semi-finals which is awesome."