Melbourne, Jan 20: Maria Sharapova has thrashed fellow Russian Elena Dementieva 6-2, 6-0 Sunday to set up an mouthwatering clash with world number one and top seed Justine Henin in the quarter finals.
Sharapova crushed her 11th seeded opponent in little over an hour, yelling "that's the way baby" after breaking Dementieva's serve for the sixth time to end the match. The glamorous Russian faces a tougher test the next round, a blockbuster quarter-final against Henin, who has a 6-2 winning record against Sharapova. But the 20-year-old is on a quest to make amends for last year's humiliating loss in the final to Serena Williams and has displayed a steely resolve at this year's tournament.
She was in scintillating form against Dementieva, snuffing our any resistance when her compatriot looked she could find a way into the game in the first set.
The pair exchanged service breaks in the second and third games but from there it was all Sharapova.
Dementieva managed to defend serve only one more time, taking the first set to 4-2, before Sharapova took eight games on the trot to claim victory.
The 26-year-old had her chances with four break points in the second set but each time either Sharapova blasted winner or Dementieva blew the opportunity with a mishit