Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova disposed of Japan's Miho Saeki 6-3, 6-1 on Thursday to sweep into the quarter-finals of the Hansol Korea Open in Seoul.
The 17-year-old Russian top seed needed just over an hour to overpower Saeki, setting up a clash with Australia's Samantha Stosur.
Saeki took a 3-1 lead in the first set, moving Sharapova around the court with some well-placed backhands and deft drop shots. But the Siberian teenager's strength became the decisive factor and Saeki only took one more game in the match.
"I wasn't playing my game in the first three games, but I finally stepped in to attack her serve a little more," Sharapova said.
A booming ace gave Sharapova the first set and she wrapped things up in the second with a combination of powerful ground strokes and thundering serves.
"She was a bit of a different player from those I usually play and it took me a while to adjust," said Sharapova. "But a win's a win and I'll take it."
Standing between Sharapova and a place in the semi-finals is eighth seed Stosur, whom the Russian beat earlier in the year on grass.
"She has a very good serve, so I'll just have to make sure I return well, hold serve, just be consistent and play my game," said Sharapova, who heads to Japan after the Korean tournament ends.
