Wozniacki has an easy opener

Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia

Caroline Wozniacki started her first major as the No. 1-ranked woman with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Argentina’s Gisela Dulko in the Australian Open.

It was the 20-year-old Wozniacki’s first victory of the year, following a straight-sets loss to Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova last week in the Sydney International and exhibition losses to No. 2 Vera Zvonareva and Kim Clijsters at Singapore and Hong Kong.

Wozniacki didn’t face a break point in the first set and converted her only chance.

Dulko, the top-ranked doubles player, tested Wozniacki in the second set and pulled level at 4-4 with a service break, but Wozniacki broke back immediately and served it out.

Earlier on Monday, Maria Sharapova won for the first time at Melbourne Park since taking the 2008 Australian Open title, beating Thai veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-1, 6-3 in the opening match on center court.

Sharapova, the former top-ranked player who missed the 2009 tournament because of a shoulder injury and was ousted in the first round last year by fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko, struggled with her serve and was inconsistent in the second set. After losing the opening service game at love, Sharapova won seven straight games to take a 6-1, 1-0 lead.

The 33-year-old Tamarine, clearly not in peak physical condition, rallied and had a game point on serve for a 4-1 lead, but 14th-seeded Sharapova broke back and regained momentum, winning the last five games.

Even when she was winning, though, Sharapova had trouble finding range with her serve. She had 10 double-faults and five aces.

Nerves had a role in that.

“I definitely felt that in the beginning. I knew I had an early exit last year and didn’t want that to happen this year,” said Sharapova, who has the goal in Australia of “staying aggressive and little by little trying to get my game better, maybe to where it was a few years ago and maybe better than that.”

French Open champion Francesca Schiavone had a couple of stutters before advancing with a 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-4 victory over Arantxa Parra Santonja of Spain

The sixth-seeded Schiavone had a chance to serve for the match at 5-3 in the third but was broken. She recovered quickly, breaking Parra Santonja’s service in the next game to take the match.

Also, No. 20 Kaia Kanepi beat Magdalena Rybarikova 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 and No. 29 Dominika Cibulkova of advanced 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-4 over Angelique Kerber.