Tennis: Williams, Sharapova storm through to second round

Maria Sharapova of Russia plays a return to Samantha Murray of Britain during their first round match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon. Photo / AP

Past Wimbledon champions Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova have stormed through to the second round of Wimbledon.

French Open champion and fifth seed Sharapova raced to a 6-1 6-0 rout of British wild card Samantha Murray, the world number 247.

Sharapova, who was knocked out in the second round last year, next faces Swiss qualifier Timea Bacsinszky.

"There's always a bit more tension coming into the first round of a Grand Slam. It was such a quick turnaround," said the Russian, whose breakthrough title in London came as a 17-year-old back in 2004.

"Just a couple weeks ago you're on the clay, coming onto the grass, with the new grass and new surface, it's a different feeling."

Top seed Williams, a five-time champion, was playing for the first time since her embarrassing French Open second round exit against Garbine Muguruza and the world number one needed only 61 minutes on Centre Court to ease past fellow American Anna Tatishvili 6-1 6-2.

Blitzing the Georgian-born world number 113 with 31 winners and 16 aces, Serena, a 17-time Grand Slam champion, raced through to a meeting with South Africa's Chanelle Scheepers.

Serena admitted she had struggled a little with the slick grasscourt, occasionally losing her footing and suffering a few bumps and bruises.

"I think I'll be OK. I'll see tomorrow. It was weird. I was fell so many times," she said.

Romanian third seed Simona Halep saw off Brazil's Teliana Pereira 6-2 6-2.

Retired women's champion Marion Bartoli returned to Centre Court only to hear herself introduced as 'Maria' by a blundering announcer.

The Frenchwoman performed the coin toss ahead of the first round match between Sabine Lisicki, the German she defeated in the final last year, and Israel's Julia Glushko.

Lisicki was untroubled, winning 6-2 6-1 in just 57 minutes.

Polish fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska, the 2012 runner-up, beat Romania's Andreea Mitu 6-2 6-1 but seventh-seeded Jelena Jankovic was knocked out, losing 6-3 6-2 to two-time quarter-finalist Kaia Kanepi of Estonia.

Michelle Larcher de Brito, who shocked Sharapova last year, defeated two-time major winner Svetlana Kuznetsova, the Russian 28th seed, 3-6 6-3 6-1 while Italian 14th seed Sara Errani lost to France's Caroline Garcia 2-6 7-6 (7/3) 7-5.

-AAP