Australian Open 2015: Eugenie Bouchard defeats Caroline Garcia in straight sets

Eugenie Bouchard outmuscled France's Caroline Garcia in straight sets to make the fourth round of the Australian Open, but admitted her performance was below par.

Bouchard, a semi-finalist at Melbourne Park last year, had her service game put under pressure in a 56-minute first set before she ran away with the match 7-5 6-0.

"I don't think it was the prettiest tennis out there today," said the big-hitting Canadian.

"I didn't get much rhythm, she was hitting some pretty good balls and I'm just happy I got through it. I wasn't playing my best."

The 20-year-old will face Irina-Camelia Begu next after the Romanian defeated Carina Witthoeft, of Germany, 6-4 6-4 in the fourth round, with a potential quarter-final against second-seed Maria Sharapova looming.

The rising star will need to improve on Friday's showing if she is to stand a chance against the Russian and go on to achieve her stated aim of winning a maiden Grand Slam in the near future.

Breaks galore

She followed up last year's Melbourne semi-final with appearances in the final four at Roland Garros and the decider at Wimbledon, but seems happy to rely on her powerful groundstrokes.

I didn't get much rhythm, she was hitting some pretty good balls and I'm just happy I got through it. I wasn't playing my best.

Garcia has a similar game and there were breaks galore in the first set as both players managed to hold serve just once in the first eight games.

The French world No 36, who beat Bouchard in their only previous meeting, held off eight break points in one game, but it was Bouchard who toughed it out.

Renowned for her intense on-court demeanour, she maintained the pressure as Garcia's resistance cracked and her error count mounted, finally snatching a decisive fourth break to take it 7-5.

From there, Bouchard romped home to take the second set with a 'bagel' set.

Blitz

Second seed Maria Sharapova blitzed her way into the fourth round, swatting aside Zarina Diyaz of Kazakhstan in straight sets.

The Russian five-time Grand Slam champion crushed the 31st seed 6-1 6-1 to reassert her authority after surviving a massive scare in her previous match against qualifier Alexandra Panova.

Sharapova blasted 22 winners against the 31st seed and sealed the match with an ace in a tick over an hour.

The five-time grand slam champion will next play China's Peng Shuai for a place in the quarter-finals.

Romanian third seed Simona Halep limped into the fourth round, struggling to overcome American world No 258 Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

Halep, who opened the season by winning the Shenzhen Open in China, said: "Here I started last year to play my best tennis. I (reached) my first quarter-final in Grand Slams ... then I made final in French Open," Halep said. "I have more confidence now during Grand Slams and I believe I have my chance at every tournament."

The 23-year-old, a quarter-finalist at Melbourne Park last year, eventually prevailed 6-4 7-5 to set up a fourth-round showdown with Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer.

Wickmayer, a former world No 12 and US Open semi-finalist, shocked Italian 14th-seed and former Melbourne quarter-finalist Sara Errani 4-6 6-4 6-3.

Czech qualifier Lucie Hradecka, who upset fifth seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in the first round, fell 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 to Germany's Julia Goerges.

Goerges faces a fourth-round match-up with Russia 10th seed Ekaterina Makarova, who defeated Czech 22nd seed Karolina Pliskova 6-4 6-4.