Emerging star Sharapova too sharp for Dokic

Maria Sharapova, Russia's latest teenage sensation, marched into the last 16 of the women's singles at Wimbledon with a 6-4 6…

Maria Sharapova, Russia's latest teenage sensation, marched into the last 16 of the women's singles at Wimbledon with a 6-4 6-4 demolition of 11th seed Jelena Dokic.

The 16-year-old unseeded Siberian, a girls singles finalist here last year, showed scant regard for reputations today as she out-hit and out-thought the 2000 semi-finalist who is struggling to emerge from a deepening rut of form.

After breaking her Yugoslav opponent in the first game, Sharapova dominated the baseline rallies with her potent forehand, raising her game whenever she was threatened.

The 20-year-old Dokic squandered two break points when Sharapova served for the first set at 5-4 and from that moment on there was only one likely outcome.

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A searing backhand pass gave her another break to lead 4-2 in the second set and an increasingly despondent Dokic was put out of her misery when Sharapova fired down her fifth ace to clinch the most impressive victory of her career.

Sharapova will play either Emilie Loit of France or another of the Russian brigade, Svetlana Kuznetsova, for a place in the quarter-finals.