Maria Sharapova celebrates after defeating Caroline Wozniacki in their third round match at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) Maria Sharapova took a potentially huge step in her attempted return to the top of the tennis ranks on Friday in Australia. Sharapova toppled No. 3 seed and defending champion Caroline Wozniacki in the third round of the Australian Open 6-4 4-6 6-3. It’s one of her most significant victories since returning from a 15-month doping suspension in 2016. Since then, she’s also dealt with multiple nagging injuries, the latest a shoulder ailment that cut her 2018 season a few months short. “I haven’t played many matches in the last year, especially against top players and these are the types of matches that I train for so it was really rewarding to win that last point,” Sharapova said in a TV interview after the win. Sharapova went into Friday’s match in attack mode, serving tough and going for big shots against Wozniacki’s serve. Sharapova racked up 37 winners in the match, which helped her come up with two key breaks in the third and deciding set. The 31-year-old Russian was nearly unstoppable on serve down the stretch, losing just five points as the server in the entire final set. At times, she looked like the once-elite player who won five Grand Slam championships and was ranked No. 1 in the world. She’ll advance to the round of 16 to face Australian Ashleigh Barty, who is sure to be a crowd favorite in Melbourne. A win would put Sharapova a step closer to claiming her first Grand Slam title since a victory at the 2014 French Open. A combination of on-court struggles, injuries and the drug suspension have kept her a notch below the level of play she enjoyed early in her career. Maybe this is the tournament where she announces to the tennis world: Maria is back.<doc-sep>Maria Sharapova takes down the defending Australian Open champion, Caroline Wozniacki, to advance to the 4th round. (1:13) MELBOURNE, Australia -- Maria Sharapova smacked a forehand winner -- the sort she has hit so many times, at so many key moments, over the years -- to take control against defending champion Caroline Wozniacki at the Australian Open. Sharapova balled up her fists, shut her eyes, threw back her head and let out a yell. She showed she's ready to be a Grand Slam factor once again. Sharapova, 31, grabbed the last four games to eliminate Wozniacki 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in two-plus hours Friday and reach the fourth round at Melbourne Park, building the statement-making victory with aggressive groundstrokes that gave her a 37-10 edge in total winners. "I haven't played many matches in the last year, especially against top players," Sharapova said. "And these are the kinds of matches I train for." She cut her 2018 season short in September because of problems with her surgically repaired right shoulder. Sharapova is seeded only 30th at Melbourne Park, where she won the 2008 title for one of her five Grand Slam trophies but hasn't been past the quarterfinals since 2015. Sharapova missed the tournament in 2017 during a 15-month doping suspension that was triggered by a positive doping test during the previous year's Australian Open. Wozniacki was the No. 3 seed in Australia, a year after beating Simona Halep in the final to claim her first major championship. Next for Sharapova is a matchup against Australia's Ashleigh Barty, who beat Maria Sakkari 7-5, 6-1 to equal her best showing at any major tournament. "I know it's going to be a tough crowd," Sharapova said. No. 15-seeded Barty took two nearly years off from the tennis tour after the 2014 US Open and played cricket during that time. "Her story is phenomenal," Sharapova said. "I know she took a little break and came back and just resurged." Against Wozniacki, Sharapova hung in there in a back-and-forth contest. Wozniacki led 3-2 in the third set after holding at love. But Sharapova finally gained the upper hand with a break for a 4-3 lead, clinched with that big forehand she was so excited about. After holding to go up 5-3, Sharapova broke yet again to end it, closing with a big crosscourt backhand. "The level was quite high," Sharapaova said. "I knew I was going to get a tough match." In other women's matches Friday, 17-year-old American Amanda Anisimova showed why there are those who consider her a possible future star, producing one spectacular shot after another to upset 11th-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-3, 6-2 and reach the fourth round. Anisimova is the youngest American to get this far at Melbourne Park since Jennifer Capriati in 1993, and at any Grand Slam tournament since Serena Williams at the 1998 French Open. "This is an unreal feeling," Anisimova said in an on-court interview. "I can't believe that this is happening right now." Anisimova's first trip to Australia, and third appearance at a major tournament, now progresses to Week 2 and a matchup against two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who defeated Belinda Bencic 6-1, 6-4 on Friday night. Also Friday, No. 5 Sloane Stephens survived two tough tiebreak sets to beat No. 31 Petra Martic 7-6, 7-6. Stephens moves on to face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, who defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-0, 6-3 earlier in the day. Second-seeded Angelique Kerber celebrated her birthday by dropping just one game against No. 240-ranked wild-card entry Kimberly Birrell. Kerber, who won Grand Slam titles in 2016 in Australia and the US Open and again at Wimbledon last year, beat Birrell 6-1, 6-0 on the day she turned 31. "I always enjoy my birthday here -- I think it's the 12th time in a row," Kerber said. "I'll never forget the birthdays here in Australia." The crowd sang "Happy Birthday" as she left the court. Kerber moved into a fourth-round match against American Danielle Collins, who beat No. 19-seeded Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-2. The Associated Press contributed to this report.<doc-sep>Sandra Harwitt Special to USA TODAY MELBOURNE — Maria Sharapova spoiled Caroline Wozniacki’s hope of defending her lone Grand Slam title when they played under-the-roof on an occasionally rainy day in Melbourne on Friday. The 30th-seeded Sharapova rebounded from trailing the third-seeded Wozniacki 4-1 in the first set, then lost the second set, to eventually secure passage to the fourth round with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win. The smile on Sharapova’s face in victory couldn’t have been broader, and when blowing kisses to the crowd she mouthed the words, "Thank you." “I thought the level was quite high,” she told the crowd. “I know she’s the defending champion and she loves this arena. This is what I train for, to win the last point. “Experience is priceless, but you still have to work for it because the player on the other side has experience, too.” There’s been 21 women who have defended an Australian Open. The last to do it was Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in 2012-13. Sharapova’s third-round victory over Wozniacki re-established the Russian presence at the Australian Open. Last year was the first time since 1998 that a Russian woman failed to advance to the fourth round. In 2008, Sharapova became the only Russian woman to ever to win the Australian Open title. She has captured five Grand Slam trophies in her career. MORE:Young American grabs huge Australian Open upset MORE:History says Serena has good shot at reaching Aussie Open semis Sharapova was out of action for 15 months after testing positive for a banned substance while reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals. She returned to the tour in April 2017, and has had mixed results and dealt with a number of niggling injuries. Sharapova was punching her forehand with precision during the match, which created all kinds of difficulties for Wozniacki. But in the end, it was a backhand cross-court shot that sealed the deal for Sharapova on a second match point. This was the first time in nearly four years that Sharapova and Wozniacki were mixing it up on a tennis court. Sharapova now leads their head-to-head by 7-4 now, but this marks her first victory over the Dane at a Grand Slam. Wozniacki defeated Sharapova twice at the U.S. Open, in the fourth-round in 2010 and 2014. The 28-year-old Wozniacki revealed at the year-end tournament in Singapore in October that she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in the summer of 2018. Sharapova will play Australian favorite Ashleigh Barty in the fourth round.<doc-sep>(CNN) Maria Sharapova outlasting roadrunner Caroline Wozniacki in lengthy rallies? A few years ago it wouldn't have seemed possible. But it happened Friday at the Australian Open as Sharapova toppled the defending champion in an absorbing three-set duel on Rod Laver Arena, 6-4 3-6 6-3. Perhaps that should come as only a mild surprise, since the player who once described herself as a "cow on ice" moving on clay has gone on to win two French Open titles. Even aged 31, the Russian is making adjustments and improvements. Showing just how much better she was than Wozniacki in those lengthy exchanges, the 30th seed emerged triumphant in 17 of the 23 exchanges of nine shots or more. Maria Sharapova celebrates after beating Caroline Wozniacki at the Australian Open. She knew it, too. "I thought it was, as usual, as expected, a physical match," Sharapova, who next faces home hope Ashleigh Barty, told reporters. "Didn't have to be in some ways, but I felt like even in the longer rallies I did a great job of winning those. Put a lot of pressure on her. "Those are the rallies that I think many years ago that she used to win. I thought I did a great job of getting a higher percentage of wins in those." Wozniacki refused to blame the defeat or coming out second best on the extended rallies on her rheumatoid arthritis. "I'm okay," the third seed said. "I went out there and I was feeling fine. I feel good. I gave it everything I had today, and that was that. Definitely don't want to blame it on anything else. "She was just a little bit better than me today. And that was really it." Opening set key Wozniacki rued blowing a 4-1 lead in the opening set but recovered in set two. In the third, Sharapova broke in a marathon seventh game before holding at love for 5-3. She forced a backhand error on a second match point to official oust Wozniacki. Shoulder issues have seen Sharapova struggle with double faults and seven came off her racket. Yet she won 74% of her first serve points against one of the game's top returners and an impressive 59% behind her second delivery. It was easily one of Sharapova's biggest wins since returning from a drug ban in 2017, equaling perhaps her victory over current world No. 1 Simona Halep in the first round of the US Open that season. Maria Sharapova (left) and Caroline Wozniacki shake hands after Sharapova won their match at the Australian Open. Then again it could be sweeter. Despite holding a winning record against the Dane entering the third-round clash, Wozniacki came out on top in their three highest-profile meetings. Twice at the US Open and once at the WTA Finals, all on hard courts like in Melbourne. Sharapova's status for the year's first major was also uncertain after she retired from her lone warmup tournament this month in China with a thigh injury. And the two will never be the best of friends. Wozniacki criticized US Open organizers for putting Sharapova on center court in 2017 while the twice US Open finalist lost to Ekaterina Makarova on the smaller Court 17. It famously prompted Sharapova to proclaim: "If you put me out in the parking lot of Queens in New York City, I'm happy to play there," she said. "That's not what matters to me. All that matters to me is I'm in the fourth round. I'm not sure where she is." JUST WATCHED Sharapova's return to the grand slam stage Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Sharapova's return to the grand slam stage 01:35 A pleasant handshake ensued when the match concluded after 2 1/2 hours, though Wozniacki offered a frosty reply when asked if she was on "friendly terms" with Sharapova. "I think our terms are the same as they have always been," she said. "I think she doesn't really talk to anybody and just, you know, has her team and has her own thing. And that's that." No extra motivation Sharapova claimed Wozniacki's words from two years ago didn't provide her with any extra motivation entering the contest. "I'm just really happy and proud of the way I competed today and I'm into the fourth round," said Sharapova. "So that's all that matters." Sharapova has long resided in the US while representing Russia. Amanda Anisimova plays for the US after her parents emigrated from Russia and is hoping for grand slam success like Sharapova. The 17-year-old became the youngest American woman since all-time great Serena Williams -- Wozniacki's good friend -- at the French Open in 1988 to make the fourth round at a major as she crushed dark horse 11th seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-3 6-2. Meanwhile in the men's draw, pals and on-court rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are getting closer to facing off in the semifinals. Neither has surrendered a set. JUST WATCHED Roger Federer remembers life changing kiss Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Roger Federer remembers life changing kiss 03:54 Federer fended off 21-year-old American Taylor Fritz 6-2 7-5 6-2 during the day session to set a clash with another 'Next Gen' star, Stefanos Tsitsipas, before Nadal thumped 19-year-old Alex de Minaur 6-1 6-2 6-4. The Big Four have had a way of quashing home hopes at the Australian Open, winning 19 in a row versus Australian opposition in Melbourne. The last player to triumph? Lleyton Hewitt against a 22-year-old Nadal in 2005. It was the third straight round the Spaniard topped a local player but he will face a Czech, and a dangerous one, in Tomas Berdych in the fourth round. Danger for Nadal? Berdych -- who missed the second half of 2018 with a back injury -- blew Nadal off the court at the Australian Open four years ago to snap a 17-match losing streak against the Mallorcan. JUST WATCHED Tennis stars take on the quick fire quiz Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Tennis stars take on the quick fire quiz 02:32<doc-sep>
Caroline Wozniacki’s reign as Australian Open champion ended with a three-set defeat by Maria Sharapova in the third round. The battle of two of the biggest names in the game did not disappoint but in the end Sharapova’s fierce hitting won the day as she surged to a 6-4 4-6 6-3 victory on Rod Laver Arena. The Russian said: “I thought the level was quite high. I knew I was going to get a really tough match. I haven’t played a lot of matches in the last year, especially against top players. These are the matches you train for and it’s really rewarding to win the last point.” Wozniacki is the highest-ranked opponent Sharapova has beaten since her first-round victory over Simona Halep at the US Open in 2017. That was her first grand slam tournament back after her 15-month doping ban and at the time seemed to be a sign of the Russian’s impending resurgence. It has not happened that way, though, with Sharapova struggling to find anything like her previous form and also troubled by injuries, with an ongoing shoulder problem prompting her to shut down her season after the US Open last summer. The 31-year-old bristled a little at the suggestion she needed a statement win like this to kick her comeback into gear but there was no doubt she was fired up for this encounter. There is no love lost between the two players. Wozniacki was one of the most outspoken critics of the way Sharapova was welcomed back to the game following her ban, prompting the Russian’s agent Max Eisenbud to brand Wozniacki a “journeyman player”. The Dane began the match the stronger and moved into a 4-1 lead but Sharapova responded, showing how desperate she was to match Wozniacki physically by winning a superb, all-court rally that included a left-handed forehand. She rode a wave of momentum to take the first set and then repeated the pattern by coming from 3-0 down to level the second. Sharapova has been too error-prone over the last 18 months to make the kind of progress she had been looking for but this was a much more measured performance right up until she served at 4-5, when a double fault and two forehand errors allowed Wozniacki to level the match. But Sharapova did not fold, the steel in her eyes showing just how much she wanted to win this one, and a series of ferocious forehands in the seventh game gave her the breakthrough. She celebrated with a huge yell and then broke Wozniacki again to claim victory, finishing with a tally of 37 winners, compared to just 10 for her opponent.