MELBOURNE, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- World No. 2 Maria Sharapova continued her strong run at the Australian Open with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Kirsten Flipkens in Sunday's fourth-round play.
Sharapova, the runner-up in Melbourne a year ago, lost the first game of Sunday's match but then won 12 consecutive games in gaining a spot in the quarterfinals. She opened her tournament with back-to-back 6-0, 6-0 wins and beat Venus Williams 6-1, 6-3 in the third round.