Maria Sharapova: "I definitely need to step it up"

Maria Sharapova has admitted that she needs to step up her game to progress further at the Australian Open.

The 26-year-old Russian defeated Alize Cornet 6-1 7-6 (8-6) in the third round of the tournament on Saturday.

"She started playing better when I gave her some chances," BBC Sport quotes Sharapova as saying.

"After my last match I'm just glad to be through and have another day to recover. I definitely need to step it up - every player will need to raise their game."

Sharapova will face Dominika Cibulkova in the fourth round.