Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Spain's Silvia Soler-Esponosa 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, on Sunday to hand Russia an unassailable 3-1 lead in their Fed Cup quarterfinal.
Russia will now play either Serbia or Belgium in the semifinals in Moscow on April 21-22.
Kuznetsova faced surprisingly stiff resistance from world No. 77 Soler-Espinosa, who was playing to level the tie after Carla Suarez Navarro completed a shock 6-0, 6-2 win over Nadia Petrova.
Saturday’s fixtures saw Sharapova beat Soler-Espinosa 6-2, 6-1 with an erratic display, while Kuznetsova powered past Suarez Navarro 6-3, 6-1.
The final match, now a dead rubber, is a doubles between Kuznetsova and Petrova and the Spanish pair of Arantxa Parra-Santonja and Nuria Llagostera Vives.
Russia had not lost a rubber against Spain in two Fed Cup ties, including the 2008 final, which Russia won 4-0 in Madrid. Kuznetsova, Makarova, Llagostera Vives and Suarez Navarro all played in that match.
