Tennis: Sharapova wins again at Warsaw Open
Associated Press
WARSAW, Poland — Maria Sharapova routed Darya Kustova 6-2, 6-0 Wednesday to reach the third round of the Warsaw Open in her first singles tournament since returning from shoulder surgery.
The three-time Grand Slam title winner needed only 57 minutes to down Kustova.
Sharapova had surgery for a torn rotator cuff last year and missed the past two Grand Slam tournaments. But the only sign of injury on Wednesday were two strips of white tape on her right shoulder.
The Russian is trying to regain the form that led her to the No. 1 ranking in 2005, and didn't face much of a challenge from the 209th-ranked Kustova.
Sharapova broke the Belarusian in the second game of the first set, and her only slip of the match came when she double-faulted when leading 4-0 to give Kustova a break. But she quickly recovered and claimed the first set with a forehand winner that clipped the baseline.
In other second-round matches, eighth-seeded Alona Bondarenko beat Marta Domachowska 6-3, 6-1, and Anne Keothavong downed Jill Craybas of the United States 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. Qualifier Alexandra Dulgheru upset fifth-seeded Sara Errani 6-4, 6-3.