World number one Maria Sharapova produced a lacklustre 6-0, 5-7, 6-2 victory over Israel's Shahar Peer on Thursday to reach the China Open quarter-finals.
By contrast, Wimbledon champion Venus Williams blew past Spaniard Nuria Llagostera Vives 6-3, 6-1 in the evening session despite an injury scare over her left knee.
A group of squealing Chinese models in skimpy tennis skirts and sporting blonde Sharapova wigs failed to inspire the top seed in her first match in two weeks.
The Russian teenager closed out a flawless first set with a vicious forehand down the line after 28 minutes but was punished for some sloppy play in the second.
Sharapova, who last month became the first Russian woman to top the world rankings, was broken three times as the 48th-ranked Peer levelled the second-round match in Beijing.
But she quickly recovered and the 18-year-old comfortably took the deciding set to win her first match since a tough loss to Kim Clijsters in the U.S. Open semi-finals.
"I played really well in the first set but then I just got too comfortable," said Sharapova, bidding for her fourth title of 2005.
"I wasn't physically tired but mentally I was coasting. I just had to get myself together mentally and fight for it."
The leggy Russian, who has won four of her 10 career titles in Asia, will play Japan's Shinobu Asagoe, a 6-2 6-4 winner over American Jill Craybas, in the last eight.
NEVER THREATENED
Third seed Williams was never threatened by Llagostera Vives, although she was forced to take an injury time-out at 4-1 in the second set for treatment on her knee.
The former world number one suffered no ill effects as she polished off the last two games to complete a crushing victory before dancing a jig of delight.
"My knee bothered me enough to call the trainer even when I was close to the finish line," said Williams. "Luckily I was able to close it out quickly.
"Even when the score's 6-0, 6-0 I'm still trying to find a way to play better. There's no friendship in tennis on the court."
Next up for the world number seven is Poland's Marta Domachowska, who thrashed Chinese number three Zheng Jie by the same 6-3, 6-1 score.
Both Williams and Sharapova received first-round byes. Venus's younger sister Serena Williams was stunned 6-2, 7-6 by China's Sun Tiantian on Wednesday.
Sun, who won an Olympic doubles gold in Athens last year, next plays Maria Kirilenko after the Russian's 6-1, 7-6 win over Japan's Aiko Nakamura.
