Pierce finds her feet on Florida clay

AMELIA ISLAND, Florida, April 4 (Reuters) - Former champion Mary Pierce made a confident start to the Amelia Island Championship on Monday, easing past Czech wildcard Daja Bedanova 6-3 6-0 in the first round of the claycourt event.

The 14th-seeded Frenchwoman, winner here in 1998, outhit and outclassed the world number 354 to set up a second round match with Eleni Daniilidou of Greece.

Having reached the quarter-finals at last month's Indian Wells event, the former Australian and French Open champion was full of confidence and Bedanova was unable to compete.

"I felt really good out there," Pierce said.

"I've been working really hard and it's paying off. I didn't play Miami and just practised for two weeks on clay."

Pierce was forced to pull out of France's team for the Fed Cup semi-finals at the end of last year because of a shoulder injury, which also kept her out of the Australian Open.

However, after returning to the tour in February, Pierce said she felt fully fit once again.

"I thought it would take me two or three months to feel good and it has but I was really happy out there today," she said.

"I love playing on clay and this tournament is just really relaxing for me. I have my mum and my brother here and it's just a lot of fun."