Former world No. 1s Maria Sharapova and Jelena Jankovic remained on course for a final showdown with quarterfinal wins at the Toray Pan Pacific Open on Thursday, while Ai Sugiyama raged against the dying light to move into the semifinals of the doubles competition.
Russia's Sharapova, feeling her way back after a 10-month injury layoff, put in an all-action, fist-pumping performance to beat Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 7-5, racking up a count of six aces and eight double faults along the way.
"The goal is to be aggressive and not be passive," Sharapova said. "That's my game and that's how I've always played. I like to attack and that usually means I'm going to make more errors, but it's all about execution."