Sharapova sweeps aside Chan in opening round

Second seed Maria Sharapova swept aside Yung-Jan Chan of Taiwan 6-1 7-5 in the first round of Wimbledon on Tuesday.

The Russian 2004 champion raced to a 4-0 lead in the first set before her 51st-ranked opponent held her serve.

The 20-year-old showed little sign of the shoulder injury that sidelined her for two months this year, although a series of unforced errors produced a tighter second set in which she dropped her serve in the seventh game.

Sporting a dress with frills that looked like fairy wings, Sharapova wrapped up the match on Chan's serve and will face either compatriot Ekaterina Bychova or Severine Bremond of France in the second round.