Melbourne: Maria Sharapova has maintained her perfect record in Australian Open quarterfinals, defeating Ekaterina Makarova 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday.
Sharapova has won all five quarterfinals she has contested at Melbourne Park and has advanced to the final twice, including when she won the title in 2008. The 24-year-old Russian, who has lost just 21 games in five matches, will play Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the semifinals.
Makarova had an upset win over five-time champion Serena Williams in the fourth round.
A win at Melbourne Park would allow Sharapova to regain the No. 1 ranking she held for seven weeks each in 2005 and 2007 and three weeks in mid-2008.
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