(CNN) -- Maria Sharapova was forced to call on all her resilience to ensure her place in the semifinals of the French Open Tuesday. 

The World No.8 endured a nightmare opening set, losing it 6-1 to Spain's Garbine Muguruza, before launching an impressive fightback. 

Sharapova, who was beaten in last year's final, won the second set 7-5 before taking the decider 6-1. 

The Russian, who won at Roland Garros in 2012, will now face Canada's rising star Eugenie Bouchard. 

"I came across a player playing with such confidence and I knew it was going to be a tough match," Sharapova told the WTA website. 

"I had a tough start but luckily I had a good finish. 

"She was playing so aggressive at the start, but also I wasn't really helping myself with my movement or serving." 

Sharapova, seeded seventh, made a dreadful start to the contest and fell 4-0 behind before finally winning a game. 

Murguruza, who defeated defending champion Serena Williams 6-2 6-2 earlier in the tournament, played with a verve and quality which belied her age. 

After conceding the first set, she slowly got to grips with 21-year-old Muguruza, who was playing in her first ever grand slam quarterfinal. 

There was heartbreak for another Spaniard in the other quarterfinal after Carla Suarez Navarro threw away a 4-1 advantage in the final set. 

Bouchard, ranked 16th in the world, appeared to be heading out of the tournament but fought back to take the match 7-6 2-6 7-5. 

It is a second successive grand slam semifinal for Bouchard, who was beaten in straight sets by Li Na at the Australian Open earlier this year. 
was she beaten by Li Na?
who was beaten in straight sets by Li Na at the Australian Open earlier this year.