Russian beauty Maria Sharapova overcame a mid-match setback to beat Italy's Francesca Schiavone 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 Thursday, reaching the quarter-finals of the Pan Pacific Open.

Sharapova, who lost to American Serena Williams in the Australian Open final, had 17 double faults, turned her game around after receiving a courtside lecture from coach Michael Joyce during the break between the second and third sets.

Sharapova will meet Japan's Ai Sugiyama on Friday. Sugiyama downed Russia's Maria Kirilenko 3-6, 6-1, 6-3.

In an earlier match, defending champion Elena Dementieva nipped fellow Russian 6-3, 7-5 Elena Likhovtseva.

Dementieva will play Italy's Roberta Vinci in the quarter-finals. Vinci beat France's Severine Bremond 6-3, 6-0.

Fourth-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia ousted China's Zheng Jie 6-4, 6-0, while fifth-seeded Ana Ivanovic, also of Serbia, subdued Mara Santangelo of Italy 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.

Jankovic will take on Ivanovic, while Switzerland's Martina Hingis faces Australia's Samantha Stosur in the other quarter-final.

(Xinhua News Agency February 2, 2007)