Former champion Maria Sharapova has secured her spot in the third round at Wimbledon after beating Richel Hogenkamp of the Netherlands in the second round.
The fourth seed came under pressure in the first set after struggling to find her serving rhythm, but she recovered from an early break to get the set back on level terms.
The Russian soon edged ahead as Hogenkamp started to struggle with her opponent's return, handing Sharapova a break, which was enough for her to wrap up the opening set.
Sharapova wasted no time taking the lead in the second as she claimed her opponent's opening service game on her way to a 4-0 lead before the 23-year-old Dutchwoman managed to get a game on the board.
The 2004 winner picked up the next two games to seal the victory though, holding serve before breaking her opponent one last time to finish with a 6-3 6-1 scoreline after just over an hour on court.
Sharapova will face the winner of the match between Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko and 29th seed Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania in the next round.
Sian Cowper
