Defending champion Sharapova seals comfortable passage into French Open second round

Defending champion Maria Sharapova is through to the second round of the French Open ©Getty Images

Defending champion Maria Sharapova breezed into the second round of the French Open with a comfortable straight-sets victory over Estonian Kaia Kanepi at Roland Garros in Paris today.

The Russian number two seed dropped just six games on her way to a 6-2, 6-4 win and will now face compatriot Vitalia Diatchenko.

There was an early shock in the women’s draw as Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska was dumped out of the competition by Germany's Annika Beck, who produced one of the performances of her career to earn a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 triumph.

Double Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka had no such problems as she swept past Spain's Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 win.

The result marked the perfect return to the clay at Roland Garros for the Belarusian after she missed the 2014 tournament through injury.

Eighth seed Spaniard Carla Suarez-Navarro is also through as she claimed a straight-sets victory over Romanian Monica Niculescu.

She will be joined in round two by the likes of Germany’s Angelique Kerber and 17th seed Sara Errani of Italy.

Fourth seed Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic booked his place in the next round by comfortably beating Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka ©Getty Images

In the men’s draw, Tomas Berdych, of the Czech Republic, a semi-finalist in France back in 2010, booked his place in the second round by beating Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 6-0, 7-5, 6-3.

There are still a lot of places to improve which is good,” said fourth seed Berdych, who has looked impressive throughout the clay-court season

“It is always good to have the first one down and now I'll just keep focusing on my next opponent.”

Britain's Andy Murray, widely-tipped to launch a serious assault on the title this year, is also safely through after he overcame Argentinian qualifier Facundo Arguello 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 in blistering time.

The most notable male casualty was Spain's Feliciano Lopez as he was beaten 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 by 30-year-old Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili, who has never been past the fourth round at the French Open.

Home favourite Gilles Simon sealed his progress by virtue of a four-set victory over team-mate Lucas Pouille and fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils, 13th seed, is also through after he ousted Edouard Roger-Vasselin.

There are a host of top names in action tomorrow as men’s world number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia takes on Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen, while America's two-time French Open champion Serena Williams gets her campaign underway against Andrea Hlaváčková of the Czech Republic.