Maria Sharapova beats Victoria Azarenka in straight sets

Second seed Maria Sharapova has battled to a 6-4 6-3 win over Victoria Azarenka in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

Both players struggled to find their best form in the opening set, in which Sharapova served seven double faults.

However, she broke Azarenka late in the set to win it 6-4.

That gave the former Wimbledon champion an injection of confidence, and she raced into a 5-1 lead in the second set, thanks to a more accurate serve and heavy forehand.

Azarenka battled hard to stay in the match and broke Sharapova back, but the Russian had too much quality and she moves through to the last 16.