It was so hot out there that the Ice Queen (aka Maria Sharapova) nearly broke into a sweat. Her 6-4, 6-2 victory against Nathalie Dechy, of France, to reach the quarter-finals was routine enough but there is something different about Sharapova at Wimbledon this year.

The difference can be summed up in one word: expectations. A year ago, the Russian was not a household name, yet she won Wimbledon and became an overnight sensation.

Defending her women's singles title will be harder than winning it for the first time and, if the past few days are anything to go by, she has the demeanour to prove it.

Nobody really remembers the last time she smiled. She does not on court and certainly does not in press conferences. It might be different within her social circles but none of us will be there to find out.

Sharapova is the ultimate professional. She is here to win tennis matches, not win friends, and she is looking ominously like the girl - she is only 18 - that everybody will have to beat.

At this stage, however, it is difficult to assess how well she is playing. Dechy is a competent player, nothing more, and one who is unlikely to seriously trouble Sharapova on grass.

Court One expected a Sharapova victory even if the first set was tight. But we were saying the same things about Sharapova last year.

"It is so hard to compare my Wimbledon this year to last year," Sharapova said.

"Last year was a totally different situation. Then, I was just happy to be into the second week of a Grand Slam. This year I am expecting to be into the second week.

"But overall I am excited to still be here. You know, no matter how I do and what happens, I am excited to be into the quarter-finals."

And, of course, nobody believed a word of it. Sharapova would be disappointed with anything less than a place in the final.

Expectations, you see, are rising as quickly as she is. With Serena Williams and Justine Henin-Hardenne already out, Sharapova has to be the favourite. It is a situation that is alien to her at this level but one that, given her background and fortitude, she will relish.

"Game-wise, I am a much more experienced player," Sharapova said. "But technically, I don't think there was the need for a big improvement. But experience-wise and confidence-wise, in certain situations, I feel I can manage things better.

"Once you are into the second week of a Grand Slam, you have to be a lot stronger mentally and physically. You have to be ready for tougher matches. I see this as a great opportunity to go farther.

"But the increased expectations do not make this more of a job for me. But I do go into tournaments knowing that I will be there for longer.

"You know, that is normal now. It is still a lot of fun. I enjoy it. I always love the competing. It's hard to say if it is less of an adventure for me now. It is totally different, I suppose. It's hard to say. I am not making any sense now, am I?"

Well, actually, no, you are not. But we sort of get the message. The truth is that Sharapova deals with pressure better than an 18-yearold is entitled to.

When one sees Sharapova, one is reminded of Boris Becker, another prodigy who seemed to handle pressure with the mental strength of somebody much older.

The Ice Queen next plays fellow Russian Nadia Petrova and is probably already thinking of clearing her schedule for Saturday's final.