Maria Sharapova has powered into the second week of the Australian Open with a 6-1 7-6 (8-6) win over Alize Cornet.

In milder temperatures than had greeted players previously this week, the Russian third seed started sharply, breaking Cornet twice before the Frenchwoman could settle into a rhythm.

With devastating groundstrokes, particularly her inside-out forehand and cross-court backhand, Sharapova was crushing Cornet as if she was first-round fodder rather than the 25th seed.

Cornet was gifted a break in the fifth game as Sharapova made a string of errors but the 2008 Open champion resumed normal service by immediately breaking back to love and serving out the set.

Cornet, the last Frenchwoman to win the junior French Open title, held her serve for the first time in the opening game of the second set and fought back from 0-40 to keep games on serve at 2-1.

Having fought her way into the match, Cornet was able to rally well but was largely without Sharapova’s ability to finish points off her own racquet.

However, Sharapova’s shaky serve helped Cornet break Sharapova with a stunning drop volley to lead 3-1.

Sharapova responded as she did in the first set, breaking to love to steady the ship.

The second set had evolved into a meeting of contemporaries but Sharapova kept her winners count ticking over, winning the bigger points to maintain ascendancy.

At 5-4 and serving for the set, Sharapova’s failing serve allowed Cornet to break again and extend her stay on Rod Laver Arena, eventually forcing a tiebreak.

Often nursing her serve over the line, Sharapova saved a set point before triumphing 8-6, ending Cornet’s Australian Open in the third round for the fourth straight grand slam after one hour and 51 minutes.

Sharapova set up an intriguing fourth-round encounter with 20th seed Dominika Cibulkova with the win, her third-straight appearance in the Australian Open’s second week.

Cibulkova was ruthless in her 6-1 6-0 demolition of 16th seed Carla Suarez Navarro, who was carrying an injury, hitting 20 winners in the 59-minute match.

The Slovakian has not dropped a set at the Open in three matches and has repeated her best performance at Melbourne Park with her fourth-round appearance.

Serb eighth seed Jelena Jankovic beat Japanese 22-year-old 6-4 7-5 while Romanian 11th seed Simona Halep defeated Kazakh qualifier Zarina Diyas 6-1 6-4 to make the second week.