EASTBOURNE, England (AFP) - Former Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo beat Alize Cornet 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 here on Monday to brush aside memories of last year's final defeat at these WTA Eastbourne Championships.

Mauresmo needed just under two hours to claim victory in the all-French battle against the teenaged rising star.

Aravane Rezai got another win for the French, reaching the second round as fifth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus retired trailing 6-2.

Australian Samantha Stosur kick-started her grass court campaign after a second-round loss a week ago in Birmingham as a qualifier, dashing the home hope of Katie O'Brien 6-4, 6-3.

But China's Li Na brushed aside Perth's Casey Dellacqua 6-2, 6-4 in a split decision on the opening day for Aussie competitors.

Russian eighth seed Nadia Petrova advanced over Shahar Peer 6-2, 6-2 with the Israeli making an unsuccessful start on grass after losing her last three events of the clay season.

Mauresmo, a former number one ranked 30th, is recovering from a dismal clay court season after winning just one match at Roland Garros before losing to a Spanish qualifier.

"I'm getting used to the grass," said Mauresmo, who lost the Eastbourne final a year ago to the now-retired Justine Henin, a year after claiming the Wimbledon trophy.

"It's always a huge change from clay, but I'm adapting pretty well."

Mauresmo, winner of 24 career titles including Wimbledon and the Australian Open, swept the first set against Cornet, ten years her junior at age 18.

After Cornet struck back by taking the second, Mauresmo overcame her seventh double-fault to hold for 5-5 in the final set.

Mauresmo reached 6-5 and put the victory away a game later on the first of two match points as Nice-born Cornet returned long.

"I thought about the final tiebreaker a year ago against Justine," said Mauresmo. "I didn't want to get into another one today. I did everything I could to avoid it and it worked out well."

Mauresmo said that facing a compatriot in the opening match was a tough psychological hurdle to overcome.

"We get along well but always hope to avoid each other until later on. It's always tough to face another French player."

"It felt good," said Mauresmo, who began training on grass last Wednesday. "In the first set I dominated, but I started playing back on the baseline in the second and not coming forward.

"I lifted my aggression in the third, that's what I have to do - on grass as well as other surfaces."

Roland Garros semi-finalist Svetlana Kuznetsova heads the field, with former Wimbledon winner Lindsay Davenport also entered after winning the event in 2001. Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli of France takes the second seeding.