Bidding for her second Wimbledon Title, Maria Sharapova had a perfect start to The Championships, after she brushed aside Anastasia Rodionova in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 in an hour and 11 minutes to move into the second round.

Sharapova won the first set in 35 minutes after converting on her fifth set point. She raced to a 5-0 lead, only to see Rodionova fight back and take the next two games. Sharapova really started the proceedings with a BANG, hitting winners from the back of the court and losing just two points on her serve. She smashed 8 winners in the set and was cruising comfortably just when she lost her focus and let Rodionova take the next two games to add a small twist to the set.

The second set was far more competitive, with the starting games going long and also close. Sharapova hit 15 winners this set and broke the Rodionova serve twice to wrap the match in grand fashion with an Ace down the the middle. It was a great start to the tournament or the Russian as she had to fight a bit to win this match.

With her performance in this round, Sharpaova has announced she means business here and is a front runner for the title.