Sharapova breezes into last 16 in Beijing

BEIJING (AFP) –

World number two Maria Sharapova makes light work of her second-round match at the China Open in Beijing, progressing to the last 16 with ease.

World number two Maria Sharapova made light work of her second-round match at the China Open in Beijing on Wednesday, progressing to the last 16 with ease.

The Russian number two seed defeated Romania’s Sorana Cirstea, ranked 29th in the WTA standings, in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2.

“I thought I served really well today, much better than the first round,” the winner of four Grand Slam singles titles said.

“She (Cirstea) is someone that likes to be aggressive, get the first shot and hit it really hard. I was happy I took her time away. It was important to try to take that away from her,” Sharapova added.

The 25-year-old will face Slovenia’s Polona Hercog, 90th in the rankings, in the third round.

Elsewhere Wednesday there was a shock in the last 16 when Romina Oprandi of Switzerland beat former world number one Ana Ivanovic in straight sets to progress to the quarter-finals.

Oprandi, who received a late entry after Serena Williams withdrew just two days before the start of the tournament, defeated the eleventh seed from Serbia 6-4, 6-3.

“I really struggled to find my rhythm out there today, especially on the forehand,” Ivanovic said.

“The ball was coming without much pace and I wasn’t really efficient moving forward and taking advantage of that,” she added. “It was the unforced errors that made a big difference.”

Ivanovic’s compatriot Jelena Jankovic was also knocked out, losing to Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro 7-5, 6-4.