Moscow, Jan 29 (IANS) Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova claimed her first WTA victory in her country in 13 years in the first round of the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy.

Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam winner, beat Daria Gavrilova of Australia 6-0, 6-4 to make the second round on Monday. She will next face her compatriot Daria Kasatkina. Sharapova had only met Kasatkina once when she won in straight sets in Montreal in August, reports Xinhua news agency.

Sharapova has rarely played the Russian tour events during her career, and when she has she's never got past the quarterfinals.

--IANS gau/bg