Maria Sharapova has raced to victory in her fourth round match to advance to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
After being pushed slightly at the start of her fourth round match By Kirsten Flipkens, Sharapova raced to a 6-1 6-0 victory.
Sharapova has only dropped five games in her four matches in Melbourne.
“You have to face whoever's in the next round,” she said. “Whether it's Flipkens – and it won't be Dementieva now – it’s who's ahead of you. It doesn't really matter. There's a reason why your opponent gets to that stage of the tournament. I mean, [Flipkens] beats Zakopalova like 2 and 1. She has a different type of game, one you don't see so much. That's why she wins so many matches.”
Flipkens tried to mix the game up by initiating her backhand slice and trying to get to the net, but Sharapova was striking the ball too deep and too hard to give her much of a chance.
The Russian finished the match with 25 winners to just four from Flipkens. She broke the Belgian six times, who won only 22 of her 57 service points.
“It's really about keeping your focus and no matter what the score is, no matter if you're up,” Sharapova said.
Sharapova will face 19th seed Ekaterina Makarova in the quarter-finals.
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