Kerber beats Sharapova in 3rd round; Halep in long-haul win

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — It was expected to be the match of the round. Angelique Kerber ensured it never became a contest.

The 2016 Australian Open winner routed Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-3 in the third-round match on Saturday night, meaning she'll be the only Grand Slam champion in the fourth round of the women's draw.

Five-time major winner Sharapova was back at Melbourne Park for the first time since 2016, when a failed doping test led to a 15-month ban from tennis.

Sharapova advanced while seeded players fell in upsets in the first two rounds and was growing in confidence but had no answers for Kerber, who is on a 12-match winning streak in a kind of comeback of her own after a sliding down the rankings last year.