Tennis: Top seeds on track for dream final

Russian Maria Sharapova blasts her way into the quarter-finals as she beats Czech Renata Voracova yesterday. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Just for a while it was looking like a desperate sort of day for the Russians and a desperate sort of day for the organisers and sponsors.

The evening before they'd seen one drawcard, former world No 1 Dinara Safina, exit at the hands of the defending champion Yanina Wickmayer. Then, first up on centre court, the great wall of China, Shuai Peng, accounted for two-time Grand Slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Out on the back courts, 2009 finalist and fellow Russian Elena Vesnina - conqueror of Marina Erakovic on Tuesday - went from a position of comfort at 6-2, 4-1 up to lose nine games on the trot before retiring complaining of dizziness.

Then star attraction Maria Sharapova came out and looked anything but a marquee player, struggling in the windy conditions against Czech Renata Voracova. At 3-5 and 0-3 down in the second set, it looked like another three-set thriller was on the cards.

Crisis averted. Sharapova won 6-3, 7-5 and will today line up in the quarter-finals. With Wickmayer surviving a three-setter, a dream No 1 v 2 seed final is still on.

It was Sharapova's graft, rather than her craft, that wore the world No 81 down.

"It was a little bit sloppy. It was certainly up and down," Sharapova said.

"I started a little bit slow and she had opportunities to go 4-1 in the first set and it was lucky I just hung in there and then I started playing better, a little more solid and then she started making a few more errors.

"Then it was up and down in the second set, we kept breaking each other.

"The wind was swirling a bit and it was just about adjusting today. These are the type of matches where you really have to get through and adjust."

Last year's tournament was marred by a procession of one-sided encounters but 2011 has been markedly different.

Greta Arn, 31, overcame eighth seed Sofia Arvidsson only after a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 marathon. Kuznetsova lost in a match that went two hours 13 minutes. Wickmayer beat German qualifier Sabine Lisicki 6-2 3-6 6-2 in a match that went 1h 55m.

In other matches, British qualifier Heather Watson beat Carla Saurez Navarro in straight sets, wild card Kateryna Bondarenko defeated Anne Keothavong and in the day's final match fourth seed Julia Goerges of Germany beat Alize Cornet (France) 6-2, 6-4.

Arvidsson became the fifth seed to fall after Kimiko Date-Krumm, Vesnina, Suarez Navarro and Kuznetsova.

Peng's demolition of third seed Kuznetsova was the biggest shock of the tournament.

It was the first time in four meetings Peng had overcome the Russian and she did it by running her heart out and two-handed paddling back everything Kuznetsova could throw at her.

In terms of quality, this was a couple of notches down on what was served up the afternoon before by Wickmayer and Safina, but it was compelling in its own way.

Kuznetsova owned all the power and the shots, but she also has that very Russian quality of looking the best player in the world in one set and the world No 300 in the next.

Kuznetsova blamed poor shot selection for her early demise.

"It matters in the important moments because you get tight. That's how I felt today. I was stopping when I had to close it," Kuznetsova said.

"Maybe it's lack of matches. I feel like I was moving well. I didn't choose the right shots at the right moments."

That's something Sharapova can't be accused of.

She has the mental toughness to treat every point like it's match point. Even though she is still some way from her dominating best, that attitude should see her playing in the final on Saturday.