Tianjin: Maria Sharapova swatted aside Swiss qualifier Stefanie Voegele 6-3, 6-1 in just over an hour at the Tianjin Open on Friday to reach her second semi-final since returning from a 15-month doping ban.

Sharapova was broken in the first game but fought back to draw level before going on to take the first set with a hold to love.

The former world No. 1, targeting a first title since returning to the tour in April, raced to a 4-0 lead in the second set as an error-prone Voegele struggled on serve.

Voegele handed Sharapova three match points when she made her eighth double fault of the contest while trailing 5-1.

The Russian sealed the match with a forehand winner and will meet defending champion Peng Shuai on Saturday.

Peng eased past Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-0, 6-1 while Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus beat local hope Zhu Lin 6-3, 6-4 in another quarter final.

Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam winner, received a two-year ban from competition after failing a drug test at the 2016 Australian Open.

The player admitted taking meldonium, a drug that was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) in January 2016.

She stressed, however, that she had been consuming the medicine since 2006 and that it had not been taken for performance-enhancing purposes.

Sharapova’s disqualification was later reduced to 15 months following an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Sharapova returned to action this year in April, but sat out the entire grass-court season due to a left thigh injury. In August, she was granted direct entry into the season finale Grand Slam-US Open.

(Agencies)