World number four Maria Sharapova surged past countrywoman Elena Likhovtseva 6-3, 6-2 to reach the fourth round of the US Open on Sunday. The 19-year-old Russian beauty, who has been a semi-finalist or better in her last nine majors, will now play Chinese dynamo Li Na for a berth in the quarter-finals.
Likhovtseva beat Sharapova in their first meeting three years ago in Toronto but since then Sharapova has won two matches in straight sets.
Sharapova came out with plenty of spark Sunday, needing just 32 minutes to win the first set.
She stumbled early in the second set, getting broken on her serve, but recovered to win the final six games of the match. Sharapova, who is bidding for her second major title after winning Wimbledon in 2004, stepped it up on the big points near the end of each set. "I was happy with the first set because I got two breaks," Sharapova said. "Then when I got broken in the second it was a wake-up call."
Sharapova got 71 percent of her first serves in and won 77 percent of those points. She had more winners (22 to four) and less unforced errors (11 to 15) than Likhovtseva.
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