Mauresmo makes fast start in Amelia Island

By Jeff Elliott

AMELIA ISLAND, Florida (Reuters) - Former world number one Amelie Mauresmo of France crushed Ukrainian qualifier Olga Savchuk 6-0 7-5 in the first round of the Amelia Island Championships on Monday.

Mauresmo, who won the tournament in 2001, dominated Savchuk in the first set by winning 26 of the 33 points, including the last 10, in just 24 minutes.

Savchuk fought back to capture the first three games of the second set, including two breaks, but Mauresmo, the 2006 Australian Open and Wimbledon champion, recovered to 3-3.

Both players lost their next two serves before Mauresmo held and she clinched victory when Savchuk sent a forehand long.

"I played a really good first set where I didn't let her take any control of the set," Mauresmo told reporters. "In the second set I tried to do even more and I started to miss more. When she gained some confidence and it got a little more equal."

Mauresmo, seeded 11th, is playing her first claycourt event of the season.

"It's something you need to be aware on the clay that you don't need to do too much," she said. "You just need to really hang in there, stay focused, play deep and see how it goes."

Mauresmo also finished as runner-up in Amelia Island in 2004, the year she reached the top of the rankings.

(Editing by Ed Osmond)