{blackbabes} Serena to face Sharapova in Stanford quarters

STANFORD, California (AP)—Serena Williams set up a quarterfinal meeting with Maria Sharapova while top-seeded defending champion Victoria Azarenka suffered a shock loss at the Bank of the West Classic on Thursday.

Williams beat Russian Maria Kirilenko 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 to set up an intriguing pre-U.S. Open clash of former world No. 1s.

"I'm sure we'll both go out and do the best each of us can," Williams said. "It's nothing personal. It's my job and I want to get paid. I leave it on the court."

Williams is playing her first tournament on U.S. soil since the 2009 U.S. Open. She missed nearly a year following right foot surgery. She also had blood clots in her lungs, and another surgery to remove a pool of blood under her skin.

She took a medical timeout during her match against Kirilenko to get her left ankle retaped after a blister formed, and the Russian took advantage by winning the second set and taking the first game of the third.

"I was a little sluggish out there," Williams said. "I got upset and started playing well enough to win. I started out fine but after that injury timeout I was sluggish."

Belarussian Azarenka was beaten 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 by New Zealand's Marina Erakovic, a 121st-ranked qualifier who recorded her first win over a top-20 opponent, stunning the Wimbledon semifinalist.

"Coming in I knew I had to be the aggressor and try to dictate the pace," Erakovic said. "I knew the court and I felt like I was hitting the ball well."

Her quarterfinal opponent will be Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova.

Japan's Ayumui Morita recovered to beat qualifier Urszula Radwanska of Poland 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 and will next face Marion Bartoli.

The 23-year-old Erakovic, born in Croatia, missed six months due to a hip injury in 2009 and returned via the ITF circuit, where she has won 12 singles titles.

"I went into a slump just before the injury and was beginning to question whether this tennis thing was for me," Erakovic said. "The injury made me realize how much I love tennis and that's when I committed myself. Coming back I feel like I can compete with the best."