CARSON, California - Serena Williams had to battle from a set down in today's third round to join top seed Maria Sharapova in the Los Angeles Open quarterfinals.
Playing her second tournament in seven months because of a knee injury, Williams overcame Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova 1-6 6-3 6-3 in a
match littered with rasping winners and unforced errors.
Sharapova, however, made short work of Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli with a 6-1 6-2 demolition to complete her seventh victory in a row.
The 19-year-old Russian, who claimed her second title of the year at the Acura Classic on Sunday, was hardly troubled as she set up a meeting with compatriot Dinara Safina in the last eight.
Safina, the fifth seed, beat American Laura Granville 6-2 7-6 in an earlier third-round match.
Seventh-seeded Hantuchova took full advantage of an erratic Williams to breeze through the opening set before the twice champion was able to raise her game.
After breaks of serve were traded at the start of the second set, Williams again broke the Slovakian in the fourth game and held on to level the match.
Williams, unleashing a series of ferocious backhand winners, broke her opponent in the seventh game of the deciding set before holding serve to clinch her fourth win over Hantuchova in five career meetings.
Sharapova, dominating from the baseline, hit 38 winners and broke Bartoli six times before coasting to victory in 73 minutes on another hot day at the Home Depot Center.
It was the Russian's second straight-sets win over the 15th-seed Frenchwoman in their two career meetings.
"Why would I want to make it any longer than I have to?" Sharapova said.
"I won't really say I overpowered her but I took advantage of the short balls and her second serve, which was about 85mph (137km/h).
"She started to play better in the second set and I made a few errors and was a little up and down. But other than that, it was fine."
The last time Sharapova played Safina, in the fourth round of the French Open, she lost in three sets after leading 5-1 in the decider.
"I don't feel I have any more Christmas presents in my suitcase, so I hope I don't give any away tomorrow," Sharapova said of their Friday quarterfinal.
"But I'm not going to look back. Tomorrow is a new day and hopefully a new result."
In other matches, third-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva beat Israel's Shahar Peer 7-5 6-3 while American wildcard Bethanie Mattek eased past Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-1 6-1.
Dementieva was relieved to avenge her defeat at the hands of Peer in the third round of this year's French Open.
The Russian, seeded sixth at Roland Garros, had led 4-1 in both sets before going down 6-4 7-5.
- REUTERS
CARSON, California - Serena Williams had to battle from a set down in today's third round to join top seed Maria Sharapova in the Los Angeles Open quarterfinals.
Playing her second tournament in seven months because of a knee injury, Williams overcame Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova 1-6 6-3 6-3 in a
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