Sharapova advances in Melbourne

Maria Sharapova cruised through to the second round of the Australian Open with a 6-4 6-3 win over Jelena Kostanic Tosic on Monday.

The fifth seed raced into an early 2-0 lead as she broke Kostanic Tosic’s opening service game and the Russian’s serving allowed her to keep the Croatian at arm’s length.

The former Wimbledon champion’s success in the opening set was founded on her first-service percentages, which saw her hit four aces and keep more than 90% of her first serves in play.

But while Kostanic Tosic was unable to live with Sharapova in the first set, the gap between the two closed in the second as Sharapova struggled to maintain her dominance.

Three double-faults in her first service game of the second set almost saw Sharapova hand Kostanic Tosic an early advantage, but she managed to do enough to take the game.

However, despite the drop-off in her performance, Sharapova’s power turned out to be too much for Kostanic Tosic and she went on to claim a comfortable straight-sets victory.