Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova has stayed on course for a second French Open title by reaching the quarter-finals at Roland Garros, but two newwave hopefuls are lining up to take her down.

The Russian seventh seed, and tournament favourite since the top three seeds all lost, produced a typically battling performance to overcome Australian veteran Samantha Stosur 3-6 6-4 6-0 in a fourth-round tie.

Sharapova, who won the French Open in 2012 to complete a sweep of all four Grand Slam titles, grabbed a break to open the decider and with the Stosur challenge visibly wilting, she turned on the power to reach her third straight quarterfinal in Paris.

“I am so happy to be back in the quarter-finals as it is such a special tournament for me,” Sharapova said. “I just hope I can raise my level and play even better in the second week.”