Intro:

Second seed Maria Sharapova beat China's Peng Shuai 6-3 6-0 to set up quarter final meeting with Eugenie Bouchard, while Ekaterina Makarova also progresses.

Script:

Five time Grand slam winner Maria Sharapova took on 21st seed Peng Shuai in the second match on the Rod Laver arena on Sunday and the signs that Sharapova meant business were there early on eventually taking the first set 6-3.

More of the same was to come in the second as Sharapova opened up a 3-0 lead and had this to go to game point for 4-0.

In a sequence that saw Peng lose the final eight games of the match, Sharapova took a commanding 6-3, 6-0 victory.

She will now face seventh seed Eugenie Bouchard for a place in the final four - having won all three of their previous matches, including a come-back win in the 2014 French Open semi-final.

Joining Sharapova in the quarter-finals is compatriot Ekaterina Makarova.

Seeded ten here, she was too strong for Julia Goerges of Germany and took a 6-3 6-2 win to reach the final eight at Melbourne Park for the third time in four years.