Florida - Two-time defending champion Serena Williams defeated 16-year-old Russian prodigy Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3 in a fourth-round match on Monday at the WTA and ATP Masters Series tournament.
The 22-year-old American, playing her first event after an eight-month layoff since winning Wimbledon, hit nine aces and 26 winners to down Sharapova in 75 minutes.
Six-time Grand Slam champion Williams, absent since left knee surgery last August, advanced to a quarterfinal date with 73rd-ranked American Jill Craybas, who upset ninth seed Paola Suarez of Argentina 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2).
An all-Williams women's final remained possible at the $6,5-million-dollar hardcourt tournament, with Serena's second-seeded sister Venus set to face Italy's 15th-seeded Francesca Schiavone in a later match.
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Serena Williams ditched her new silk tennis dress for shorts and a sleeveless top in her first meeting with 23rd-ranked Sharapova, then got as serious about the first set as she had about her fashions.
Williams squandered two break points in the opening game but Sharapova double faulted to surrender a break in the third. Sharapova broke back to 2-2 but netted consecutive forehands for another break that put Williams ahead 4-3.
Sharapova netted another forehand to squander a break point in the eighth game but earned two more against Williams in the pivotal 10th game.
Williams saved the first with an ace and the second with a backhand winner that landed on the baseline. She followed with her third ace of the game and Sharapova netted a forehand to drop the set after 46 minutes.
Sharapova sent a forehand beyond the baseline that gave Williams a break to begin the second set.
The former world No 1 ended the match with a break as well, capitalising to conclude matters when Sharapova sent a forehand wide.
Rain delayed several matches, including three-time defending men's champion Andre Agassi's third-round affair with Max Mirnyi of Belarus.
That winner would next play Argentina's 21st-ranked Agustin Calleri, who beat 19-year-old Australian wild card entrant Todd Reid 6-4, 7-6 (7/3).
Russian eighth seed Nadia Petrova beat Australia's Alicia Molik 6-2, 6-1 to book a quarterfinal date against either France's Nathalie Dechy or Argentine lucky loser Gisela Dulko. - Sapa-AFP
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