Maria Sharapova breezed past No. 8 seed Li Na of China 6-3, 6-0 in a little over an hour to make the Miami Masters semifinals.
The Russian's dominant victory Tuesday surprised many who expected Li Na to put up a bigger fight after coming out on top in their last four encounters - including last year's Roland Garros semifinals.
“I came into this match losing to her the last few times,” said Sharapova, in comments to the event website after going to 6-4 all-time against Na. “I just really wanted to change that, so I was extremely focused and looking forward to the match.”
Sharapova, a three-time losing finalist in Miami, faces Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals buoyed by a stable game that is producing consistent results.
“My game is obviously the way it is by being aggressive and going for my shots, but also making sure that if it takes three or four or five, six balls for the opponent to make a mistake, then that's what it takes. So it's having that consistency and also the will to be out there for as long as it takes.”
In the other quarterfinals Wednesday, Venus Williams plays Poland's Anna Radwanska and Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka faces Marion Bartoli of France.
