Former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova started her grasscourt season in convincing fashion with a 6-4, 6-2 first-round win over Canada's Stephanie Dubois in the Edgbaston Classic in Birmingham on Monday.

The 22-year-old Russian, who only returned to action last month after a shoulder injury, fired down eight aces in the 73-minute match.

Sharapova reached the French Open quarter-finals before losing to Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova and she climbed 29 places to 73rd in the world rankings on Monday.

In the second round Sharapova will play American Alexa Glatch who beat ninth-seeded compatriot Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

Top seed Zheng Jie of China begins her campaign against Briton Melanie South after a first-round bye.