14 Jan 2013

Sharapova cruises through first round in Melbourne

4:28 pm on 14 January 2013

Maria Sharapova showed no sign of discomfort as she dismantled fellow Russian Olga Puchkova 6-love, 6-love to cruise into the second round of the Australian Open.

Having pulled out of warm-up tournaments after suffering pain in her neck and collarbone, second seed Sharapova appeared desperate for competition but was given little of it in a 55-minute rout.

Other winners so far today include 6th seed Li Na, 9th seed Sam Stosur and 25th seed Venus Williams.