Second seed Maria Sharapova was made to work harder than she had planned against Chan Yung-Jan of Taiwan but she eventually swept her aside 6-1 7-5 in the first round of Wimbledon on Tuesday.
The Russian 2004 champion raced to a 4-0 lead in the first set before her 51st-ranked opponent held her serve.
A series of unforced errors by Sharapova combined with a fightback by 17-year-old Chan produced a tighter second set in which the world number two dropped her serve in the seventh game.
"I was a little bit passive (in the second set), especially on her second serves," Sharapova told a news conference.
The 20-year-old showed little sign of the shoulder injury that sidelined her for two months this year, although she said cool weather at the London tournament was not helping it.
"During this tournament, I will have to be on anti-inflammatories. Especially in these conditions when it's so cold, the balls are heavy, even heavier than they were at the French Open. It's like everything's going against it," she said.
Sporting a frilly dress that she said was designed to look like a swan, Sharapova wrapped up the match on Chan's serve and will face either compatriot Ekaterina Bychova or Severine Bremond of France in the second round.
{{/usCountry}}Sporting a frilly dress that she said was designed to look like a swan, Sharapova wrapped up the match on Chan's serve and will face either compatriot Ekaterina Bychova or Severine Bremond of France in the second round.
{{/usCountry}}Sharapova, who has said Wimbledon was her favourite grand slam, has a good record here, appearing in two semi-finals in the years since her victory.