Sharapova, Halep advance to semifinals at Shenzhen Open

SHENZHEN, Jan 4 (AP): Maria Sharapova continued her preparations for an Australian Open return by beating Zarina Diyas 6-3, 6-3 Thursday to advance to the Shenzhen Open semifinals along with top-seeded Simona Halep.

The five-time major winner dictated play against Diyas, hitting 24 winners and five aces to clinch victory in just under 90 minutes on Thursday.

"I didn't play my best tennis, and there's certainly a lot of things to improve on," Sharapova said. "The great thing is that I'm through and have another chance to play tomorrow."

She will play either defending champion and No.6-seeded Katerina Siniakova or Kristyna Pliskova for a place in the final.