MARIA Sharapova won on her return to action after a 15-month doping ban as she beat Roberta Vinci in the first round of the Stuttgart Open.
The Russian, who was suspended last March after testing positive for meldonium, beat the Italian 7-5 6-3.
There was no noticeable bad reception for the 30-year-old, who responded well to losing her first service game to take a tight opening set in Stuttgart.
She broke twice in the second to progress to face Ekaterina Makarova.
SOURCE: BBC SPORT
