BNP Paribas: Svetlana Kuznetsova too strong for Andrea Hlavackova

Svetlana Kuznetsova waits for a serve from Andrea Hlavackova

Svetlana Kuznetsova gave an indication she is returning to her best form as she beat Andrea Hlavackova at the BNP Paribas tournament in Indian Wells.

Kuznetsova, a former world No 2 and twice a Grand Slam champion, had slipped down the rankings following a serious knee injury.

However she was no match for Hlavackova in the opening round as she stormed to a 6-3 6-1 victory to set up a second round meeting with Jelena Jankovic.

"I'm happy to be back on the court. This is the main thing," said Kuznetsova. "Every day I just try the best I can and things are coming along pretty well."

Wildcard

Former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone overcame fellow Italian Flavia Pennetta 7-5, 6-1.

Schiavone, who won at Roland Garros in 2010, will now face second-seeded Maria Sharapova

No 3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska will take on American Maria Sanchez after the wildcard, ranked 112th in the world, defeated Olga Puchkova 6-3, 6-3.

Mallory Burdette was a 6-3 6-1 winner over Jill Craybas, Chanelle Scheepers beat Kristina Mladenovic 6-4 6-1 and Silvia Soler-Espinosa was a 6-7 (7-9) 6-2 6-1 winner against Vania King.

There were also wins for Simona Halep, Johanna Larsson, Ksenia Pervak and Olga Govortsova.