Sharapova eases through

Maria Sharapova made sure of her place in the second round at Wimbledon with an almost straightforward win over Stephanie Foretz.

Despite dropping her serve late in the second set, the 2004 champion kept her composure to claim a 6-1 6-4 victory against the French qualifier.

Australian Open winner Sharapova is no stranger to the attention on Court One, and a nervy start by Foretz allowed the Russian to gain an immediate advantage in the first meeting between the two.

The 21-year-old broke in game two – thanks to a powerful forehand which Foretz was unable to return – before holding her own serve to take a 3-0 lead in the opening set.

Foretz settled slightly when she managed to get herself on the board in the next game, but her third-seeded opponent seemed in a hurry and broke again in game six before clinching the set with just 26 minutes on the clock.

Sharapova made it four games on the trot with another break at the start of the second as Foretz, the world number 105, again failed to cope with her opponent’s unstoppable forehand.

A stunning return down the line earned her another break in the seventh, but Foretz showed she had something in the tank by breaking back in the next game.

The Frenchwoman also clung on in the following game, but that left Sharapova serving for the match and she needed no second invitation, clinching victory in one hour and 15 minutes.

Sharapova will now face compatriot Alla Kudryavtseva in the second round.