Sharapova Survives Test to Advance to Quarters at WTA Birmingham

"She's a much better player than when I played her last time," said Sharapova, who improved to 4-0 against Stosur. "She served and volleyed today which she didn't do the last time I played her.

Stosur's game plan was on target until the third set when the unforced errors crept in.

"Everyone know what a great hitter of the ball Maria is from the baseline," Stosur said. "But on these courts you have to rush her and not let her get set for a shot, and I did that. But you have to do it for three sets and keep everything going 100 percent."

Other seeded winners were (3) Jelena Jankovic (d. (Q) Sequera) and defending runner-up (5) Tatiana Golovin (d. (Q) Fujiwara), while on the upset tip Russian Anna Chakvetadze defeated (6) Shinobu Asagoe, and Greece's Eleni Daniilidou ousted (8) Ai Sugiyama.

Other un-seeds into the quarterfinals were Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn (d. Foretz from a set down), and Americans Laura Granville (d. countrywoman (Q) Jackson) and Mashona Washington (d. Parra Santonja).

Scheduled for the Friday quarters in Birmingham are Washington vs. (3) Jankovic (first meeting), Tanasugarn vs. Granville (Granville leads 2-0), (1) Sharapova vs. Daniilidou (Russian leads 1-0), and (5) Golovin vs. Chakvetadze (first meeting).