Maria Sharapova continued her successful return to the WTA circuit with a confident 6-2 6-0 victory over Darya Kustova which took her into the quarter-finals of the Warsaw Open.
The former world number one (now slipped to rank 126th) is playing her first singles tournament in nine and a half months after taking time off to recover from a persistent shoulder injury and was pleased with her showing.
"I thought I did the right things at the right time. I played a solid game and I did everything I had to do to win today," she said
Despite the doubts over her fitness, the 22-year-old showed glimpses of her glory days when she won three Grand Slams, including Wimbledon as a 17-year-old.
The Russian cruised through the first set in a much improved showing from her inconsistent three-set first round win over Italy's Tathiana Garbin 6-1 6-7 (6/8) 6-3.
With her right shoulder still strapped up, Sharapova used crisp baseline shots and strong serving to keep Belarusian Kustova pinned to the baseline.
She raced through the second set and won 13 straight points to take her to 5-0 and 40-0 up before Kustova delayed the inevitable with a forehand winner.
Sharapova then closed out the match when Kustova hit long to confirm her unbeaten return for at least another match.
She now plays Ukrainian eighth seed Alona Bondarenko for a place in the semi-finals. Bonderenko, who defeated Poland's Marta Domachowska 6-3 6-1, promises to provide a stiffer test for Sharapova.
"I've played her a few times before, Sharapova added.
I played her on clay last year in the States, and in it was a pretty tough match.
"I think she's in good form. She plays a really good defensive game but she can step in and hit the ball. So I'm looking forward to it.
Sharapova's return to the spotlight will please organisers at Roland Garros as she is still one of the biggest draws in the women's game.
And now I have another reason to watch the upcoming French Open. Yay!
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