Los Angeles: Serena Williams had to battle from a set down in Thursday’s third round to join top seed Maria Sharapova in the Los Angeles Open quarter finals.

Playing her second tournament in seven months because of a knee injury, Serena overcame Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 in a match littered with rasping winners and unforced errors.

Sharapova, however, made short work of Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli with a 6-1, 6-2 demolition to complete her seventh victory in a row.

The 19-year-old Russian, who claimed her second title of the year at the Acura Classic on Sunday, was hardly troubled as she set up a meeting with compatriot Dinara Safina in the last eight. Safina, the fifth seed, beat American Laura Granville 6-2, 7-6 in an earlier third-round match.

Seventh-seeded Hantuchova took full advantage of an erratic Serena to breeze through the opening set before the twice champion was able to raise her game. After breaks of serve were traded at the start of the second set, Serena again broke in the fourth game and held on to level the match.

Serena broke her opponent in the seventh game of the deciding set before holding serve to clinch her fourth win over Hantuchova in five meetings.

Israel’s Shahar Peer 7-5, 6-3 while American Bethanie Mattek eased past Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-1, 6-1.

(Reuters)