Novak Djokovic weathered a gallant challenge from a tenacious Lleyton Hewitt to send the last Australian in the draw packing and make the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday.

Dressed in black and prowling panther-like across the baseline, Djokovic was in no mood for sentiment as he motored through the first two sets.

Maria Sharapova hammered her way into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday but only after some tense moments in a third-set decider when Germany's Sabine Lisicki had her hanging on by her finger nails.

The fourth-seeded Russian had to blunt the powerful ground strokes and blistering service returns of the 14th seeded Lisicki and fought off five break points in the third game of the final set to turn the match her way.

The Russian's confidence grew enough for her to break Lisicki's serve in the sixth game of the set, which essentially sealed the victory and she ran out a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 winner.

"She's a really solid player," Sharapova said of Lisicki, who she beat in last year's Wimbledon semi-finals.

"If you play to her strengths, if you give her time that's what she really does best, she gets a good strike on the ball and can hit a good winner from any side of the court.

"But obviously I was trying to create those opportunities where maybe she had to go for a little bit more and force the errors out of her."

Lisicki attacked Sharapova's serve in the third set and held five break points in the third game before Sharapova slammed a forehand winner to hold and screeched a loud "Come On" before she broke Lisicki in the sixth game that gave her the momentum to win.