Sharapova sets up Henin quarter-final tie in Melbourne

Henin saw off Taiwanese qualifier Su-Wei Hsieh 6-2 6-2 while Sharapova was ruthless in her 6-2 6-0 demolition of 11th seed Elena Dementieva.

Sharapova: Set to meet Henin in the quarter-finals

They will now meet in the last eight of a grand slam for just the second time when they come face to face on Tuesday.

Henin and Sharapova have met on eight occasions, with Henin winning six matches.

Their most recent encounter was when Henin beat the Russian in three sets in last year's WTA Tour Championship final in Madrid in an epic clash.

Henin described that victory as one of the best of her career and she expects another tough challenge on Tuesday.

"It was a big fight. It was one of the best matches of my career, I think one of the best matches of last year," she said.

"It was very intense. She's back at her best level.

"I always know to beat her I have to be at my best. She's a real fighter. She never gives up. Very talented. She's a champion. So I know that against her I will have to give 100% all the time."

Henin also admitted she can not wait for the challenge of entering the second week of a grand slam.

"Now is when it gets serious. And that's what I'm here for. So I'm very excited about tough matches coming up and I hope it's going to be a great week of tennis," added the Belgian.

Sharapova, who has yet to drop a set this tournament despite a difficult draw, is keen to atone for her previous loss to Henin.

"The one in Madrid was pretty tough. Physically she got me in the end. She was fresher than I was in the end," the Russian said.

"But it was a good match. And I still had many chances. I was very close to winning that match. But this one's a new one. I'm looking forward to it.

"Currently, she's the one to beat. She's on a pretty good winning streak. But every match is a new match. That's why in the morning the guys go out, or girls, and they put the net up. That's why there's always an opponent on the other side. That's why we play the matches."

The Russian fifth seed added that while she appreciated how hard it was to beat Henin, she would not alter her game plan significantly.

"If I have the chances, I don't want to wait to take them," Sharapova continued.

"If I have the opportunity to get a good hit on the ball and come in, I'm hopefully going to take that. If I don't, I'm doing something wrong."

Also through to the quarter-finals is defending champion Serena Williams, who knocked out 12th seed Nicole Vaidisova 6-3 6-4 to set up a clash with either third seed Jelena Jankovic or local hope Casey Dellacqua.

Earlier in the day, four players completed the draw for the fourth round after their matches were delayed by wet weather yesterday.

Marta Domachowska ended Na Li's Australian Open charge, defeating the number 24 seed 2-6 6-2 6-4, while ninth seed Daniel Hantuchova eased past Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-2 6-3.

Nadia Petrova edged Russian compatriot Ekaterina Makarova 6-1 7-6 (10-8), and Danish teen Caroline Wozniacki accounted for another youngster, Germany's Sabine Lisicki, 4-6 6-4 6-3.