Sharapova First Into QFs

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A resurgent Maria Sharapova is one win away from back-to-back semi-finals at WTA Premier Mandatory events, after brushing aside fourth seed Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-1 at the Sony Ericsson Open today. The 16th seed, who reached the semi-finals last week at Indian Wells, had three aces and five break points in the hour and 21 minute match, and now is 7-0 lifetime against Stosur.
 
“Her serve is one of her biggest weapons.  She has a great kick out there and gets more spin than anyone on tour,” said Sharapova, who said she focused on the quality of her return to break Stosur in the first game of the match. “Against a good server, [a good return game is] sometimes even more important than your own serve,” she added.

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The Australian took advantage of Sharapova’s three double faults to break back and hold, but Sharapova won a break and a game to love to gain the edge in the set. Stosur held to start the second set, but Sharapova played cleanly and calmly to manage three breaks and finish the match with a six-game streak.
 
“In the beginning I thought I made a few more errors on the second serves than I should have,” Sharapova said, accounting for Stosur’s break in the second game. As the match progressed, she said, “I started going for it a little bit more and I felt more comfortable.”
 
This is the first time that the Russian player has competed in the main draw of the Miami tournament since 2007, and she will play No. 26 seed Alexandra Dulgheru in the quarter-finals. The 16th-seeded Sharapova is a two-time finalist in Miami (2005-06).

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Dulgheru, the 26th seed, defeated Peng Shaui to advance to the quarter-finals 6-3, 6-4. Dulgheru won eight break points over Shaui in her best performance of the year to date; she previously reached the second round in Doha.
 
Last year, Dulgheru reached the third round at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. She is in her second main draw appearance in Miami, after reaching the second round in 2010, but losing to former champion Victoria Azarenka. This will be her first meeting with Sharapova.