Venus Williams made light of a 16-year age gap to beat teenager Anett Kontaveit in straight sets at the US Open.

Williams, who is in line to face younger sister Serena in the quarter-finals, is the oldest player in the draw at 35, but proved too strong for her unseeded opponent in a 6-2 6-1 triumph.

Having beaten 18-year-old Belinda Bencic in the previous round, Williams again showed there is no substitute for experience as the two-time Flushing Meadows champion produced a commanding display to win in under an hour.

The 23rd seed converted two of her three break-point openings in a one-sided opening set, during which she won 100 per cent of points on her first serve.

Seemingly in a rush to get the job done, Williams followed an easy hold of serve with a break at the start of the second set, with her 152nd-ranked opponent looking completely overawed in her maiden grand slam fourth-round appearance.

Indeed, Kontaveit was broken to love in her next service game to leave Williams on the brink of her first US Open quarter-final appearance since 2010.

The seven-time grand slam champion reeled off another game without dropping a point before Kontaveit, serving to stay in the match, finally got off the mark in the second set with a love game of her own.

It only delayed the inevitable, though, and Williams moved into the last eight after facing break point in game seven, with the winner of the match between sister Venus and another fellow American, Madison Keys, next up.