Easy does it for Garbine Muguruza; Maria Sharapova survives scare

Former French Open champion Garbine Muguruza made a solid start at Roland Garros on Tuesday.

In a battle of former winners Muguruza, the 2016 champion, took on 2009 winner Svetlana Kuznetsova and it was the Spaniard who came out on top without much fuss as she won 7-6 (7-0), 6-2.

Muguruza broke in the first game, but the Russian hit back to level it at 3-3 only to lose her serve again in the very next game before levelling it a game 10 again.

However, it was one-way traffic in the tie-breaker and much of the second set.

The 24-year-old Muguruza will face Fiona Ferro next after the Frenchwoman beat Carina Witthoft from German 6-4, 6-2.

Former US Open winner Sam Stosur also advanced as she beat Yanina Wickmeyer 6-2, 6-4 while Bethanie Mattek-Sands beat Johanna Larsson 6-4, 6-3.

Stosur’s fellow Australian Daria Gavrilova had to battle from a set down before overcoming Sorana Cirstea from Romania 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3.

Meanwhile, two-time champion Maria Sharapova survived a serious scare to claim a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Dutch qualifier Richel Hogenkamp in her first French Open match since 2015.