Maria Sharapova fought back from a set down to beat Sabine Lisicki and reach the quarter-finals.
Former champion sees off Lisicki to reach quarter-finals
Maria Sharapova fought back from a set down to beat Sabine Lisicki and reach the Australian Open quarter-finals.
In what was a repeat of the pair's Wimbledon semi-final, Sharpaova eventually emerged a 3-6 6-2 6-3 winner under the lights of the Rod Laver Arena.
The big-serving Russian, who won the title in Melbourne back in 2008, started like a train, breaking Lisicki's serve twice to open a 3-0 lead.
However, at that point things started to go awry. As double faults and unforced errors crept into the Sharapova game, Lisicki took full advantage and she reeled off six games on the spin to claim the first set.
Sharapova refocused in the second and a better serving display saw her quickly level the contest.
Flinch
It boiled down to a final-set shootout and after missing five break points in the third game Lisicki was the first to flinch, losing her delivery in the sixth game to fall 4-2 down.
The German 14th seed managed to save a match point on her own serve at 2-5 but was powerless to prevent Sharapova clinching her place in the last eight in the following game.
A big serve on her second match point could only be returned into the net by the Lisicki backhand and Sharapova moved through to a quarter-final meeting with her compatriot Ekaterina Makarova.
The unseeded Makarova had earlier upset Serena Williams in her fourth-round encounter.
Sharapova said she had been below her best but was happy to produce on big points, especially in the decider.
She told
Eurosport: "It was really a battle out there but I managed to pull it out today.
"I produced some great serves when it really mattered in the third set."
