Hello and welcome to this women's quarter-final between world number two, and last year's beaten finalist Maria Sharapova and her fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova

So that's the bottom half of the women's draw sorted out for the semi-finals. World number two Maria Sharapova will face sixth seed Li Na for a place in the finals when they meet on Thursday

SHARAPOVA 6-2 6-2 - GAME, SET & MATCH! Sharapova reaches her fifth Australian Open semi-final, sealing the win for the loss of just four games with an ace out wide. That took her just 66 minutes.

SHARAPOVA 6-2 5-2 - Makarova holds to love as Sharapova goes for the barn-storming finish only to send a series of huge groundstrokes wide and long. But the world number two will have the chance to serve out the match after the change of ends

SHARAPOVA 6-2 5-1 - Despite consecutive double faults from Sharapova, there is nothing Makarova can do to even earn a break point, let alone actually get one of the breaks back. And Sharapova holds to leave her opponent preparing to serve to stay in this match

SHARAPOVA 6-2 4-1 - BREAK! Makarova gets distracted just at the wrong moment and puts what should be a routine forehand into the net to hand Sharapova yet another break point. And, once again, the world number two takes it - somehow injecting extra pace on a defensive backhand at full stretch, Makarova failing to deal with it and sending the ball wide and slightly long across court

SHARAPOVA 6-2 3-1 - Sharapova holds to 15 to maintain her break advantage in this second set, Makarova pulling a forehand wide across court despite having plenty of court to aim for. It's all very comfortable at the moment for the world number two

SHARAPOVA 6-2 2-1 - Sharapova backs away from a return of serve so she can have the time to take it on her forehand instead of her backhand. But she sends her response long and Makarova stops the rot of six straight games against her to get off the mark in this second set

SHARAPOVA 6-2 2-0 - It's not exactly quick but Sharapova eases through another service hold to 15, sealing it with an inside-out forehand winner across court that lands smack on the outside of the side line. With the power that she hit that, there was no way that ball should have landed in, and yet it dipped at just the right moment and, boom! It's another winner for the world number two

SHARAPOVA 6-2 1-0 - BREAK! Makarova finally comes out on top of one of the longer rallies to save this break point but Sharapova earns herself yet another chance. And this time she does get it, whipping a forehand across court that Makarova does well to get a racquet too let along send the ball back into the net

Sharaopova drills a forehand across court, landing the ball right on the sideline, to earn herself yet another break point. She can't take advantage of it, Makarova producing a first serve just when she needs it. And the 19th seed saves a second with another big first serve. Sharapova eventually earns herself a fourth break point with a left-handed defensive lob, which Makarova returns into the net...

SHARAPOVA 6-2 - SET! There's a tricky shadow moving across the court now but Sharapova makes light work of up, bringing up a first set point with a forehand drive volley winner across court, leaving Makarova floundering on the other side. And it's an ace to seal the set. Sharapova looking ominously confident now. Ominous for Makarova anyway.

SHARAPOVA 5-2 - BREAK! Fabulous depth from Sharapova time-after-time as she earns herself a chance to double her break advantage. It's an opportunitiy she quickly takes, riffling a forehand return of serve winner over the net to leave herself potentially just one gam away from this opening set. Sharapova will serve for it after the change of ends

SHARAPOVA 4-2 - Another double fault from Sharapova allows Makarova a small look at a break as she leaves at 30-30. But the older of the two Russians (Sharapova is 25, Makarova 24) quickly slams the door shut and goes on to hold when Makaraova fails to return another solid serve

SHARAPOVA 3-2 - BREAK! Makarova completely mis-times a forehand well wide across court as Sharapova strides her way towards another break point. And it's a break point gifted to her when Makarova slaps down a double fault

SHARAPOVA 2-2 - BREAK! A second ace from Sharapova gets her out of a spot of bother at 0-30 down. And another solid first serve, that Makarova returns into the net, sees her level up at deuce. A forehand winner down the line, from outside the tramlines, earns her a game point but a second double squanders it. And Makarova earns herself a break back point with a great return winner. Makarova does break with an astonishing backhand down the line after off a drop shot

SHARAPOVA 2-1 - BREAK! Just seven minutes on the clock (the first game hadn't even finished by this stage between Li Na and Agnieszka Radwanska) and already Sharapova has the first break. Makarova's serve wasn't really firing in that game and Sharapova responded with some huge hitting to break with a forehand down the line that Makarova can not return in play

SHARAPOVA 1-1 - A tight double fault from Sharapova is quickly rectified by the world number two as she finds a forehand winner down the line to settle her nerves. And from there she goes on to hold to 15 to get her side of the scoreboard ticking over

SHARAPOVA 0-1 - A very confident love service hold from Makarova to open up the clash. A couple of sweetly struck winners as well as an ace and that will settle any nerves she had coming into this match

It's still pretty warm in Melbourne, about 25 degrees with the sun beating down, as the players are just about ready to get their clash underway on Rod Laver

The winner of this clash will face former finalist Li Na, who was a victor over Agnieszka Radwanska earlier on today.