Sharapova into quarters

Maria Sharapova surged into the Tianjin Open quarterfinals on Thursday as she pursues her first tournament victory since her return from a doping ban.

The Russian former world No.1 defeated Magda Linette of Poland 7-5, 6-3 and will play Swiss qualifier Stefanie Voegele.

The 30-year-old Sharapova has been on the comeback trail since April after serving a 15-month suspension for taking the banned substance meldonium.

Sharapova, a five-time major winner, is now ranked a lowly No.86 in the world and she needed a wild card to enter the Tianjin tournament. She saw off 71st-ranked Linette in just over 98 minutes to reach only her second quarterfinal since her return to action.