MELBOURNE: Second seed Maria Sharapova sent rising star Eugenie Bouchard into a tailspin with an imperious display Tuesday, setting up an Australian Open women's semi-final with enigmatic fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova, 27, flicked aside the Canadian seventh seed 6-3, 6-2 in their glamour quarter-final clash as her quest for a second Australian title gathers pace.
But she faces an unknown quantity in dark horse Makarova, seeded 10th, who humiliated third seed Simona Halep in a 6-4, 6-0 mauling that crushed the Romanian's renowned fighting spirit.
Sharapova won the Australian title in 2008 and can seize the world number one ranking off arch-rival Serena Williams if she repeats the feat this year.
She was expected to face a tough battle against Bouchard, the photogenic 20-year-old constantly compared to Sharapova and hyped as the leading light in a group of young guns destined for Grand Slam success.
But the reigning French Open champion was never troubled, taking her career record against Bouchard to 4-0, including a semi-final at Roland Garros last year.
Sharapova said she was steadily improving after surviving a major scare in the second round, when she was one point away from an early exit.
"Am I happy that I was able to lift my game after having a couple of matches where I wasn't satisfied? Yeah, absolutely," she said.
Bouchard made too many mistakes going for big winners, resulting in an early break that Sharapova never relinquished.
"I didn't start well and it kind of all went downhill from there," the Canadian admitted, ruing a number of break point opportunities that were overhit in her eagerness to take the fight to Sharapova.
Bouchard committed 30 unforced errors and two double faults, burying her head in her hands at the changeover before Sharapova put an end to her misery after one hour 17 minutes.
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