Serena Williams & Maria Sharapova into Madrid quarters

World number one Serena Williams has reached the Madrid Open quarter-finals after beating Maria Kirilenko 6-3 6-1.

The defending champion beat the 13th-seeded Russian in just over an hour to set up a match with Spanish wildcard Anabel Medina Garrigues.

"I just felt really relaxed today. I felt like I was just taking my time," the 31-year-old American said.

World number two Maria Sharapova is also in the last eight after beating unseeded German Sabine Lisicki 6-2 7-5.

French Open champion Sharapova, 26, will now play Slovakian wildcard Daniela Hantuchova or unseeded Estonian Kaia Kanepi.

Williams, chasing her fourth title of the year and the 50th of her career, said of Garrigues: "She's definitely going to be really tough for me.

"She's a grinder on clay and she's Spanish. I know a lot fans really like her here."

Russian Sharapova reflected on her improvement on clay. "It took me many years to get to the level of where I am today, it certainly didn't happen overnight," she said.