Sharapova comfortably through at US Open

(GETTY IMAGES)

Former champion Maria Sharapova continued her comeback from shoulder surgery with an impressive opening win over Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova.

The 2006 champion from Russia, seeded 29th, and using a new service motion as she rehabilitates her right shoulder, looked to have conquered the problems those changes had brought by only serving four double faults as she romped to a 6-3 6-0 victory to stay on course for a third-round date with fourth seed Elena Dementieva.

"I played a very tricky opponent that didn't give me much room and I'm also coming from a pretty slow court in Toronto, so it was just about adjusting," Sharapova said.

"I had a little bit of a slow start, made a few easy errors but I just got in the groove and was able to close it out.

"This is a grand slam and you've got to get going in your first match. It's a privilege to be playing any singles player out here and I'm more than excited to have an opportunity to play any match here after being gone. This is what it's all about."