Former champion Maria Sharapova made a stuttering start before beating stubborn qualifier Viktoriya Kutuzova in the first round of the Wimbledon ladies singles.

Sharapova, who triumphed at the All England Club in 2004 when aged just 17, is clearly still not back to her best following shoulder surgery that kept her out of the game for nine months until March.

It showed on Court 1 as the 24-year-old Russian trailed 4-1 and 5-3 in the first set before rattling off a streak of four games without reply.

Both players struggled to hold serve in the second. Sharapova broke Ukraine's Kutuzova for a 5-3 lead to serve for the match, but was broken at love.

She then broke again, converting her first match point when Kutuzova netted a backhand.

Earlier, French Open sensation Sorana Cirstea survived a first-set scare to safely make it through to the second round.

Cirstea, who came out of nowhere to reach the quarter- finals at Roland Garros earlier this month, was caught cold on the opening day at SW19 and looked in danger of an early exit as she went 4-0 down to fellow Romanian Edina Gallovits.

But the 19-year-old 28th seed describes her character as being “determined” and she proved it by battling back to take the first set
7-5 and then seal the match 6-1 in the second.

At Roland Garros, Cirstea beat 21st seed Alize Cornet, of France, 10th seed Caroline Wozniacki, of Denmark, and fifth seed Jelena Jankovic, of Serbia, on the way to the last eight. There she finally fell to Samantha Stosur, the 30th seed from Australia.

Meanwhile, Venus Williams has revealed she hopes to return to London in 2012 to help the United States win gold at the Olympics.

The defending ladies' champion will be 32 by the time the Games come here but insists she wants her third gold medal.

She said: “I'm still here and I don't think I'm going to be leaving any time soon.”