Key Biscayne, FL – Three-time runner-up Maria Sharapova was an easy quarterfinal winner Tuesday at the $4.828 million Sony Ericsson Open.
The second-seeded former world No. 1 closed within one victory of reaching her fourth final here by cruising past eighth-seeded French Open champion Li Na 6-3, 6-0 in 68 minutes at Crandon Park. The tall Russian broke Li seven times en route to the final four.
Sharapova is trying to reach her third final in four events so far this season.
The 24-year-old Sharapova lost to current world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka in last year's Miami finale and was also a runner-up here in 2005 and 2006. Sharapova also succumbed to Azarenka in a final at Indian Wells two weeks ago and the championship match at the Australian Open back in January.
Sharapova's semifinal opponent on Thursday will be fourth-seeded former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki or 10th-seeded former top-ranked star Serena Williams, who is a five-time Miami titlist. Wozniacki-Williams will be staged on Tuesday night.
Two other quarterfinals will be held on Wednesday, when the high-flying Azarenka faces seventh-seeded Marion Bartoli and fifth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska battles three-time Miami champ Venus Williams. The Belarusian Azarenka is off to a perfect 26-0 start this year.
This week's big winner will collect $712,000.
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.
