Sharapova to face Bouchard in Aus Open quarters
Second-seed eased to a win over China’s Peng Shuai; Third-seed Halep also through to the last-eight in Melbourne.
Maria Sharapova set up an enticing quarter-final showdown with Eugenie Bouchard at the Australian Open following a comfortable 6-3, 6-0 fourth round victory over China’s Peng Shuai.
The second-seed broke Peng twice in the first set, though she had some trouble on serve with the Chinese holding four break points, and winning one, in a marathon seventh game.
Sharapova, however, wasted little time in finishing off Peng, breaking in the first game of the second set and using that as a springboard to romp to a 75-minute victory.
The Russian will face Bouchard who sealed a 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu.
Third-seed Simona Halep broke her hoodoo against Belgian Yanina Wickmayer with a 6-4 6-2 win to also sail into the quarter-finals.
Halep faces Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova for a place in the semi-finals.
Results:
3-Simona Halep (Romania) beat Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) 6-4 6-2
2-Maria Sharapova (Russia) beat 21-Peng Shuai (China) 6-3 6-0
10-Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) beat Julia Goerges (Germany) 6-3 6-2
7-Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) beat Irina Begu (Romania) 6-1 5-7 6-2