Maria Sharapova (shorts, tuxedo top and diamonds) served like a plank and was walloped by Alla Kudryatseva; Ana Ivanovic (classic lines with silver trim) could barely hit a ball in court as she was demolished by Jie Zheng; Daniela Hantuchova (all in white with legs all the way up to her earlobes) folded against Alisa Kleybanova and Marion Bartoli (striking red and white) disintegrated as first her shoulder and then her leg packed up against Bethanie Mattek (don't ask).

Both halves of the draw are riddled with holes and the stage has been set for someone to step up and take the tournament by the scruff of the neck. Of those left standing, only the Williams sisters and Svetlana Kuznetsova have the experience of winning a major title. But Kuznetsova has never been beyond the quarter-finals in SW19 and has never managed to replicate that remarkable day in 2004 when she won the US Open. So, then, step to the fore the Misses Williams, champions six times between them in the last eight years and drawn to meet in the final this year.

Venus, the defending champion, is not like the rest. For a start, she is modelling her own clothing line here. Called EleVen (well, it's one better than ten, apparently), it is affordable clothing for the courts. No item in the range sells for more than $19.99 (£10) and Venus has even persuaded Nadia Petrova, the world No.18, to sign up for the range. Not for Venus the multi-million dollar fashion contracts, the chic fabrics and the outlandish designs – she is a back-to-basics sort of girl who wins here thanks to raw power and good, old-fashioned experience.

Experience tells her that no matter how badly she plays in the first week, things can only get better in the second. On paper, her opening opponents – two Brits and a lowly ranked Spaniard – ought not to have tested her, but Venus has had to beat herself to win. The unforced errors have flown thick and fast but, so far, no one has had the brain or the brawn to make the most of them.

It was ever thus with Venus. When she won last year, no one had given her much notice or much of a chance until she clobbered Sharapova in the fourth round and emerged from that match a new woman. From that moment on, she dropped just another 18 games on her way to her fourth Wimbledon title.

Against Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez yesterday she set off like a whippet with its tail on fire, rattling through the first set in just 25 minutes and allowing her opponent, the world No.101, a meagre 13 points. But come the second set, she took the early lead, lost it and only got it back again when she rolled up her $19.99 sleeves and applied the pressure. Only in the last couple of games did she have that look of a champion on the hunt for trophies as she headed for the fourth round 6-1, 7-5.

"She was really playing well and I needed to come up with more than she was giving and I think I did that," Venus said calmly.

The only real threat to Venus is Serena, but somehow the grass courts of SW19 tip the balance in Venus's favour. Serena has won more Grand Slam titles (eight to six) but Venus has won more Wimbledon titles (four to two). Serena did beat her sister to win both her trophies here, but that was a long time ago and she has not been beyond the quarter finals of any major tournament since winning the Australian Open at the start of last year.

Like her sister, Serena knows what it is like to dominate the tour and has the ability to turn the talent on and off. When she is ready to play and compete, she can rip her opponents to shreds. Even if she has played like a drain for the first week, she perks in the second. For most of last year, it was Justine Henin who tended to stop her in the quarter-finals but Henin is now safely enjoying her retirement and there is only Kuznetsova left to get in her way – and Williams has only lost once to the Russian.

"You just start playing every match better and you start focusing in, don't get excited about a little win, just stay focused for the whole two weeks," she said.

As for the chaos going on around her with falling seeds and upsets in results, Williams could not care less. There is only one star to feature in Serena's firmament and that is Serena. "I really mostly focus on me and my results," she said.

The women's game at the moment is in a transitional stage. Some of the older stars are on the wane and the new names are not yet ready to dominate. At the same time, the Williams sisters are as powerful, as awkward to play and – when the mood takes them – as impossible to beat as ever. If they fancied the idea, they could be the major force in the game for the foreseeable future. As ever with Venus and Serena, it is whether they fancy it.