Sharapova wins opener at Aegon Classic

BIRMINGHAM, England, June 8 (UPI) -- Former Wimbledon champion and two-time Birmingham winner Maria Sharapova was among Monday's first-round winners at the Aegon Classic.

The former top-ranked player defeated Canadian Stephanie Dubois 6-4, 6-2. The Russian won the title in this tournament in 2004 and 2005 and was runner-up in 2007.

American Alexa Glatch beat fellow American Bethanie Mattek-Sands 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, and Poland's Urszula Radwanska beat Russian Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 6-3.

In other matches involving seeded players, Thai Tamarine Tanasugarn beat France's Julie Coin 7-7 (7-1), 6-1; Slovakian Magdalena Rybarikova defeated Uzbekistan's Akgul Amanmuradova 6-4, 6-4; and Italian Roberta Vinci topped Frenchwoman Severine Bremond Beltrame 6-3, 6-2.