Beaten Australian Open finalist Maria Sharapova has made a winning start at the WTA Paris Open, beating South Africa’s Chanelle Scheepers 6-3, 6-1 to reach the last 16.

Given a first-round bye due to her top seeding, the Russian world number three was competing in her first ever match at the indoor tournament on Wednesday at the Pierre de Coubertin arena in Paris’s chic 16th arrondissement.

Sharapova had been forced out of Russia’s Fed Cup victory over Spain on Sunday due to a cold but she showed no signs of ill health against world number 44 Scheepers.

The 24-year-old three-time Grand Slam-winner will face either Romania’s Monica Niculescu or Angelique Kerber of Germany in the next round.

“I had a few problems finding my rhythm at the start,” said Sharapova.

“The court is pretty quick. But I really like these conditions and once I’d got my bearings, it went better.”

With Li Na and Jelena Jankovic having both been forced out of the tournament by injury, Sharapova’s main rival for the title is likely to be French second seed Marion Bartoli, who begins her campaign on Thursday.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Italian seventh seed Roberta Vinci reached round two with a straight sets win over Romanian Simona Halep.

Monica Niculescu of Romania outlasted Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in an erratic match that saw 14 service breaks.

But eighth-seeded Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues fell 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 to home favourite Pauline Parmentier.

“There were lots of people who are very important to me around the court,” said Parmentier, the French number two.

“That allowed me to push myself to the limit. I forced myself to do it.”