Sharapova seals last eight berth

Maria Sharapova was delighted to recover from a “sluggish” start to beat Daniela Hantuchova to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open at the Rod Laver Arena.

The 6-4 6-4 score indicated a comfortable victory for Sharapova, but it was far from easy for the Russian fourth seed, who eventually saw off Slovakian number 17 seed Hantuchova in 97 minutes courtesy of five breaks of serve to three.

Having played under a closed roof after the Extreme Heat Policy was implemented for the third-successive day with the temperature reaching beyond 41 degrees Celsius, Sharapova did not settle straight away.

“I was a little bit sluggish in the beginning,” she said.

“When they close the roof down, the conditions are different, you hear the ball differently, so my rhythm was a little bit off,” she said.

“But I really kept my composure.

“I felt like even though I got down those breaks, I still felt like I was playing pretty well. I felt the ball well, but just making a few little errors, I just adjusted. I thought she was a great returner and I knew I needed to be ready after my serve, and I was.

“She hit some balls that I couldn’t really do too much with, but just to make my opponent play another ball when she’s returning really well is very important.”

With both players breaking in each set, Hantuchova failed to capitalise on her opportunities, whereas Sharapova was able to do more with hers as she set up a quarter-final clash with compatriot Nadia Petrova, the number six seed.

With the players trading early service breaks, Sharapova looked to be running away with the opening set when she broke again in the fifth game, but needed a third break in the ninth to set herself on the way to taking the set after Hantuchova broke again.

Hantuchova then broke early to lead 3-0 in the second set but left the court for several minutes for treatment after Sharapova had broken back, and another break in the ninth game was enough for Sharapova, who got through after squandering two match points on her serve in the 10th game.

It was a day packed with impressive performances, with top players Lindsay Davenport, Justine Henin-Hardenne, Petrova and Sharapova all advancing to the quarter-finals of the women’s singles.

The powerful Petrova breezed through to the quarters with a 6-3 6-1 victory over another Russian, Elena Vesnina, dominating from the outset and racing away to a strong first-set lead.

Meanwhile, top seed Davenport also had an easy run to the quarter-finals with an emphatic 6-2 6-4 victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova in hot conditions.

The American star needed just 18 minutes to churn out the first set, and 40 minutes later had wrapped up the convincing victory.

Kuznetsova, the tournament’s 14th seed and the 2004 US Open champion, could do little in the way of attacking as her opponent skilfully sent the ball to all corners of the court.

The only concern for Davenport heading into the quarter-finals will be an ankle injury which required treatment midway through the second set.

Again it was a day of easy victories for the seeds as Henin-Hardenne made light work of Virginia Ruano Pascual.

The Belgian had little trouble setting up a two-set, 6-0 6-3 victory over the struggling Spaniard to book a quarter-finals berth against Davenport.

The eighth seed rocketed away to an emphatic one-set lead and victory followed shortly after as she wrapped up the second set easily as well.