Serena Williams setup an intriguing clash with fellow American Sloane Stephens after the two players advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open in contrasting fashion.

Williams, the overwhelming favorite at Melbourne Park for the title, thrashed fourteenth seed Maria Kirilenko of Russia 6-2, 6-0.

The American veteran has looked every bit assured and looks on course for another Australian Open title, with Wimbledon and U.S. Open crowns already in her grasp.

Williams will now face 19-year-old Stephens, who trumped Bojana Jovanovski in three sets 6-1, 3-6, 7-5.

"She started playing really great tennis, and obviously you guys (the Hisense Arena crowd) needed to see a show, and I hope that I gave that to you," Stephens said after the match.

"She just brought it full bore in the second and third set ... mentally it was pretty tough. I was going cross court on all of my shots and she was going down the line with every shot and hitting it with everything that she had, like every muscle in her body.

"I couldn't find a rhythm but sometimes you just have to stick it out."

Stephens, who entered her first-ever Grand Slam quarterfinal, sees the Williams match as just another one, as she tries to create possibly one of the biggest upsets in recent times.

"Good match," she said. "It will be fun. Same thing.  Just go out there, another match, another day.  Obviously, it's quarters of a Grand Slam, so you've just got to do your best.

"Obviously every match is a learning experience. But, I mean, you've just got to go and treat it like another match. It wasn't like, 'Oh, my God, I played Serena,' I'm going to be so great at all these other things because she just taught me so much.

"It was just another match, regular match. Little things that you just take and move on," she added on her previous meeting with the American champion.