Sharapova solves problems to reach last four

Top seed Maria Sharapova was in less than sparkling form as she ousted fellow Russian Anna Chakvetadze in straight sets in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open today.

In an error-strewn match that lasted two hours and 13 minutes, the 19-year-old made 41 unforced errors and had her serve broken four times before eventually prevailing 7-6 (7-5) 7-5.

The opening set saw four breaks of serve and 11 of 12 points in the tie-break going against the server before Sharapova finally prevailed 7-5 in the tie-breaker .

After Chakvetadze had taken a medical time out for treatment on her right shoulder between sets, the second set followed a similar pattern as the first with both players continuing to make mistakes and squander service games.

Leading 5-4, Sharapova wasted one match point on her opponent’s serve but closed Chakvetadze out two games later to win the match with her fifth service break.