Sharapova cruises past Gagliardi in Korea Open
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-09-28 16:38

Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova crushed Switzerland's Emmanuelle Gagliardi 6-1 6-3 in the first round of the Hansol Korea Open WTA event on Tuesday.

 The 17-year-old Russian broke Gagliardi's serve five times, beating her in 71 minutes in front of an enthusiastic crowd.

 "I thought I played quite well, although the court surface was a little bit different to China. It's a little slower and I had to adjust in the first few games," Sharapova told reporters.

 Sharapova lost 6-2 6-2 to US Open champion and compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova in the semi-finals of the China Open on Saturday. She heads for Japan after Seoul.

 She hit her stride in the third game and took the first set in 37 minutes. The Russian followed that with three love games in the second set, one of them with two aces in a row.

 "The only game where I felt uncomfortable was my first service game," she added.

 Sharapova played Gagliardi on the centre court of Seoul's 1988 Olympic tennis complex. She will play Henrieta Nagyova of Slovakia or American Sunitha Rao in the second round on Thursday. The final is on Sunday.

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