Sharapova advances to Australian Open semis

Four-time major winner Maria Sharapova has advanced to the semifinals of the Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-2 win over fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova.

The second-seeded Sharapova reached her 16th career Grand Slam semifinal in 66 minutes on Tuesday. She broke Makarova's serve five times and hit 22 winners.

Sharapova has dropped only nine games en route to the semifinals, including a pair of 6-0, 6-0 wins.

Sharapova next plays sixth-seeded Li Na of China, who defeated Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska earlier in the day, 7-5, 6-3.