Maria Sharapova through to Australian Open quarter final after blistering win over Belinda Bencic

The Russian was ruthless and her usual entertaining self, offering up one of the matches of the tournament so far.

Sharapova pushed and ruthlessly attacked Bencic all over the court, looking for winners and points rather than forcing her twelfth seeded opponent into a mistake.

Sharapova's 'heavy metal' style didn't mean she had it all her own way, with Bencic forcing her into drawn out confrontations in both sets. Bencic's placement and return troubled the Russian, forcing her into wild shots and trapped her in corners of the court.

The first set saw Sharapova's unforced error count climb higher and higher as Bencic waited for her opportunities. It was in vain however, as the world number five delivered a torrent of aces the way of the Swiss.

Both sets were very similar being point for point, with the only difference in key moments being Sharapova's willingness to blast through Bencic's concentration. As Bencic tried to serve to protect the match in the second set, she couldn't stop it from being broken by Sharapova.

The Russian returned with the ball to take the set 7-5 and the match overall. The 18 year old was impressive despite being bundled out by the 2008 Australian Open winner.

Sharapova will meet Serena Williams in her quarter final.