Venus victory sets up Clijsters showdown

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Venus Williams found her range to beat plucky Slovakian Magdalena Rybarikova 6-2 7-5 on Friday and set up a hotly anticipated fourth-round showdown at the U.S. Open with comeback mum Kim Clijsters.

The American third seed once again stepped on to a floodlit Arthur Ashe Stadium with heavy strapping above and below her left knee but she had little trouble overpowering her 46th-ranked opponent in the opening set with her brutal groundstrokes.

Rybarikova, who had taken a pain-killing injection before the match for a left-toe injury, landed on her feet in the second set as she steamed ahead 3-1 but Venus soon cut her back to size with a series of spectacular volley winners.

A forehand error ended Rybarikova's night under the spotlight, leaving a beaming Williams to look forward to her clash with Clijsters, a match between two former U.S. Open champions.

"I'm so excited. She's been playing so great. She was a great champion and she's still great," said Williams.

"It's great to have her back. It's a boost for tennis and it will be a great match."

(Reporting by Pritha Sarkar, editing by Steve Ginsburg)