The Russian was beaten by No. 8 seed Alona Bondarenko in easy straight sets, 62 62.
"I have to give Alona all of the credit she deserves. When she was up, she played really solid and rode it out until the end," Sharapova said. "I felt my shots were too short and I wasn't patient enough. On clay you have to be patient and wait for your opportunities.
"I'm happy with the way I played here though. Obviously no one likes to lose, but I've spent about three or four hours competing on the court this week and that's what I needed. I'm very thankful for the wildcard I got from the tournament."
"Maria played with the same speed and power she had before the injury, the only difference is she made more errors," Bondarenko said afterwards. "I'm happy with the way I played and the result today. If I continue to play like this I think I can win some matches at the French Open next week. We will see."
Bondarenko will face Anne Keothavong, who beat Ioana Raluca Olaru 60 61, for a final berth.
Hantuchova had to fight to win her quarterfinal match, as she struggled and won against Klara Zakopalova, 63 46 64. She will face qualifier Alexandra Dulgheru, who ousted Galina Voskoboeva 61 75.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Singles - Quarterfinals
(6/WC) Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) d. Klara Zakopalova (CZE) 63 46 64
(8) Alona Bondarenko (UKR) d. (WC) Maria Sharapova (RUS) 62 62
Anne Keothavong (GBR) d. (Q) Ioana Raluca Olaru (ROU) 60 61
(Q) Alexandra Dulgheru (ROU) d. Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ) 61 75
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