New Delhi: Sania Mirza's winning streak at the $13,40,000 WTA Acura Classic in San Diego (California) comes to an end in the quarter-finals early on Saturday morning.
The 20-year-old, who had beaten players ranked much higher then her in the previous rounds of the tournament, lost to world No. 2 and top seed Maria Sharapova of Russia in straight sets 2-6, 1-6.
Sharapova is the defending champion and will now meet third seed Anna Chakvetadze in the semi-final.
Chakvetadze beat Venus Williams of the US 6-7 (5), 7-6 (3), 6-2 in another quarter-final.
Sania had a dream run in the lead-up to the quarter-finals, beating four top-20 players in the last week.
Sharapova had beaten Sania by the same margin in the fourth round of the US Open in 2005 - the only other time the two have played each other. Sania's ranking now stands at a career-best high at 30.
Though Sania met another Russian and eighth seed Dinara Safina in the previous round and beaten her easily, but against Sharapova she never looked comfortable.
Shapaova’s powerful serves kept on troubling Sania from the very beginning with the Russian breaking the Indian’s serve at will.
Sharapova, a former world No. 1, is looking for her first title this year.
In the other matches Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, who is seeded 11th, also had no trouble in knocking out Russia’s four Nadia Petrova 6-4, 6-4.
Schnyder will meet another Russian and ninth seed Elena Dementieva, who beat Maria Kirilenko in straight set 6-2, 6-4.
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