Yanina Wickmayer and Maria Sharapova advance in Auckland

AUCKLAND (Reuters) - Champion Yanina Wickmayer joined an enigmatic top seed Maria Sharapova in the quarter-finals of the Auckland Classic Wednesday, while Svetlana Kuznetsova squandered a three-games lead in the final set and crashed out.

Sharapova mostly spluttered, but at times roared, to a 6-3 7-5 victory over Renata Voracova of the Czech Republic, while second seed Wickmayer had to battle to beat German qualifier Sabine Lisicki 6-2 3-6 6-2.

Third seed Kuznetsova was bundled out 2-6 6-4 6-4 by China’s Peng Shuai after she blew what should have been a match-winning lead in the final set in the first match on centre court.

Sharapova followed Kuznetsova onto the newly laid blue Plexicushion courts and after going 3-1 down in the first set she blasted the 27-year-old Voracova away, losing just one point in the final four games of the set.

The second set was just as erratic, with Voracova jumping out to a 5-3 lead before the U.S.-based Russian stormed back to win the next four games and book a quarter-final against Hungary’s Greta Arn.