Maria Sharapova beats Sabine Lisicki to reach Madrid Open quarters

Second-seeded Maria Sharapova beat Sabine Lisicki of Germany 6-2, 7-5 Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open.

After breaking Lisicki late in the second set, Sharapova used her big serve to finish off the third-round match in 1 hour, 42 minutes.

The Russian former No. 1 will face either Daniela Hantuchova or Kaia Kanepi next.

Also, Spain's Anabel Medina reached the quarterfinals after Yaroslava Shvedova withdrew due to a right arm injury.

Top-ranked Serena Williams plays Maria Kirilenko later, while Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal also have third-round matches in the men's event.