The top-seeded Williams needed a little more than an hour to see off Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 6-1, after Sharapova had dispatched Sabine Lisicki of Germany 6-2, 7-5.

Despite taking something off her usually blistering serves, Williams' dominant performance made Kirilenko wither after she dropped the first set with one of several unforced errors.

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"I just felt really relaxed, like I was taking my time," said Williams, adding that she had decided to slow down her serve to gain in precision what she lost in speed.

The defending champion battered Kirilenko with her strong return game, working the 12th-ranked Russian back and forth on the baseline of the Caja Magica's red clay court with her precise forehand drives.

"I had been missing my serve when I was hitting it harder, so I took some pace off and didn't hit as hard as I usually do," Williams said. "It was easy because when you take off pace you don't hit as hard and don't exhaust as much energy. And hitting a serve or a winner are both fun."

Williams will next face local favorite Anabel Medina Garrigues, who reached the quarterfinals after Yaroslava Shvedova withdrew with a right arm injury.

The 15-time Grand Slam winner called Medina Garrigues a "grinder" and predicted a "tough match" in front of the Spanish crowd.

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