Sharapova cruises in round 2

Former world number one Maria Sharapova cruised into the second round of the WTA hardcourt tournament here Monday with a straight sets win over compatriot Nadia
Petrova.

The 22-year-old downed 10th seeded Petrova 6-3, 6-4, her third win over Petrova this season.

It was another step forward for Sharapova, who had shoulder surgery last October, returned to singles competition in May and is now ranked 49th in the world. It was shortly after she won a marathon match in the second round of this event last year, when it was in Montreal, that Sharapova said she had re-injured her serving shoulder and would have to withdraw, launching her 10-month injury absence from the WTA Tour. In the second round she’ll face Austrian Sybille Bammer, a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 winner over Russian Anna Chakvetadze.

The top eight seeds, led by world number one and defending champion Dinara Safina, enjoy first-round byes in the two million-dollar US Open tuneup.

Aravane Rezai booked a second-round clash with Safina with a 6-4 7-5 victory over fellow Frenchwoman Alize Cornet. Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko set up a clash with Wimbledon runner-up Venus Williams.