MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Caroline Wozniacki started her first major as the No. 1-ranked woman with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Argentina's Gisela Dulko on Monday 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 in 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 the Danish player broke back immediately and served it out on her second match point after a double-fault on her first.
Wozniacki won six tournaments in 2010, including four of her last six, and can retain the top spot by reaching the semifinals.
Definitely. I'm feeling good. I'm feeling like I'm in a good shape,'' Wozniacki said.Gisela is a tough opponent, especially in the first round.''
Earlier on center court, Maria Sharapova won for the first time at Melbourne Park since taking the 2008 title, beating Thai veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-1, 6-3.
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.
I was definitely a little bit nervous in the beginning. Last year, I played first match on center and, you know, I lost,'' Sharapova said.So kind of was like, 'I don't want this to happen again this year.'
``The first game definitely wasn't great, and didn't serve good at all during the match. I started playing better as the match went on and, yeah, I can only improve in the second one.''
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. The Italian player recovered quickly, breaking Parra Santonja's service in the next game to take the match.
In other women's matches, No. 20 Kaia Kanepi of Estona beat Slovakia's Magdalena Rybarikova 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 and No. 29 Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia advanced 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-4 over Germany's Angelique Kerber.
No. 18 Sam Querrey was the first of the men's seeded players eliminated, losing 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 8-6 to Poland's Lukasz Kubot, while No. 12 Gael Monfils and No. 16 Mardy Fish rallied from two sets down.
Former world junior champion Thiemo De Bakker served for the match at 5-3 in the third against Monfils but got tight and made a series of unforced errors on key points, eventually losing 6-7 (5), 2-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-1.
I know Thiemo a bit. I know sometime he snap in the head,'' Monfils said.It's a weakness for him. So you play with that.''
Fish seriously cut down his unforced errors in the third set and continued that through, getting the decisive break in the seventh game of the fifth set and then converting his fourth match point for a 2-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 victory over Romania's Victor Hanescu.
Defending champion Roger Federer was to play Lukas Lacko of Slovakia in the third match on Rod Laver Arena, where he has won four previous Australian titles.
Federer and top-ranked Rafael Nadal were behaving like best mates at Rod Laver Arena - high-fiving, hugging, shaking hands and laughing at each other's jokes on Sunday night in the exhibition ``Rally for Relief'' fundraiser for victims of the fatal floods in Australia's northeastern Queensland state. It'll be a completely different story if they're back on the same court in two weeks.
Nadal has won the three Grand Slam titles since Federer's victory here in Australia and is aiming to become the first man since Laver in 1969 to win four straight majors. It's being dubbed the ``Rafa Slam.''