Maria Sharapova cruises past Petra Kvitova to reach Miami Masters semis

Maria Sharapova advanced to the quarter-finals of the Miami Masters by defeating Petra Kvitova in straight sets this afternoon.

The fourth seed got off to a horrible start by losing her serve to love in the opening game but broke back in the eighth game to make it 4-4.

It looked like a tie-break would be needed but then Sharapova broke Kvitova to love to snatch the set 7-5 in just over an hour.

The second was a much simpler affair for the Russian as she raced out to a 5-0 lead before serving out the match 7-5 6-1.

Sharapova, who has never won the tournament but finished runner-up on five occasions, will face either Serena Williams or Angelique Kerber in the last four.