Maria Sharapova advanced to the semifinals of Stuttgart Open after beating Anett Kontaveit of Estonia 6-3, 6-4 on Friday.
In her third match following a 15-month doping ban, the former World Number 1 converted five of her six break points.
The Russian, who tested positive for meldonium at last year's Australian Open, will face either Kristina Mladenovic or Carla Suarez Navarro in her next match.
Kontaveit had only five unforced errors in the first set, but Sharapova broke for a 4-3 lead and won the next two games. The Russian broke early in the second set too, and then again for a 4-2 lead.
Sharapova finished the match with four aces to raise her total for the tournament to 24.
The five-time Grand Slam champion entered the Stuttgart event on a wild card after losing her ranking because of the suspension imposed on the her, which had been reduced on appeal.
(With inputs from AP)
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