Andrew Lloyd Webber famously asked the question "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" during his reality talent show, when attempting to find someone to take the part of Maria in his stage production of The Sound of Music. Eugenie Bouchard may well be asking the very same question, after Ms Sharapova of Russia demolished her in straight sets in their quarter-final match today. The number two seed now looks forward to a clash with fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova in the semi-finals in Melbourne.
It took the 2008 champion just one hour and eighteen minutes to dispose of last year's Wimbledon runner-up in their quarter-final tie, played in un-seasonally cool and windy conditions in Melbourne Park, by the score of 6-3 6-2 and hence continue her unbeaten record against the young Canadian.
The number seven seed had no answers to her more experienced opponent's play, as the photogenic 27-year-old seeks her sixth Grand Slam title. For Bouchard it represented a step back in her upward curve over the last few years, following a semi-final defeat last year Down Under.
Bouchard started poorly by dropping her opening service game and never completely recovered in all honesty, dropping her serve on three further occasions during the one-sided match. She crucially also failed to convert break points of her own on Sharapova's serve in the pivotal sixth game. Her progress was not helped by making 30 unforced errors over the course of the match, including a missed backhand on set point against her in the first set and a forehand error in the second which handed her rival match point.
Sharapova, as through most of the match, did not waste the opportunity and sealed her success with a winner into the corner.
Number three seed Simona Halep did not have such a good day at the office, as the Romanian came unstuck against the tenth seed, Makarova 6-4 6-0.
It sets up an interesting last-four clash between the top two players in Russia, with Makarova slightly the younger in age but having two Grand Slam titles of her own to draw on in the experience stakes, albeit both in the doubles rather than the singles. Sharapova will go in to the match as the heavy favourite though, having won all five of their previous meetings in singles on the tour and only ever having lost one set in all that time to her fellow Russian.