Former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova launched her comeback from a six-month injury layoff with a 7-6(8), 6-0 first-round victory over Viktoria Kuzmova at the Mallorca Open grasscourt tournament on Tuesday. 

The Russian five-time Grand Slam champion has not played since the end of January after taking time out to recover from a shoulder injury, but edged a tight opening set against Kuzmova before strolling through the second. 

With the start of Wimbledon now less than two weeks away, Sharapova said she felt "optimistic" about the shoulder.  
 

"It's been a while since I've been out there so it felt really good to go through a few things I've worked on and get the arm into action again. There's a lot to work on but I had to start somewhere." 

The 32-year-old who will face reigning Wimbledon champion and top seed Angelique Kerber in a standout second-round match. 

Kerber, who suffered an ankle injury during the claycourt season and lost in the first round at the French Open, beat Belgian qualifier Ysaline Bonaventure 7-5, 4-6, 6-2. 

(With input from AFP and Reuters)