Emma Raducanu returned to Grand Slam tennis after a year with a comprehensive 6-3, 6-2 win over Shelby Rogers to reach the second round at the Australian Open for the third consecutive year.
The British played a near-perfect match to outclass her opponent in the first round in Melbourne.
Raducanu showed glimpses of her best against the 161st-ranked Rogers, converting three of five break points.
Her last Grand Slam appearance was also in Melbourne in 2023, where she qualified for the second round before losing to Coco Gauff.
She will face Wang Yafan of China in the second round on Thursday.
Raducanu shocked the world at the Flushing Meadows in 2021 as she went all the way to winning the trophy as a qualifier but only on one other occasion has she qualified for the fourth round of a Grand Slam.
The 21-year-old had dropped to 299th in the world after an eight-month layoff with ankle and wrist injuries.
Raducanu, who has been criticised for making frequent changes to her coaching team, has once again joined hands with childhood coach Nick Cavaday.
Like Raducanu, Rogers was also on the sidelines in the second half of the season last year. The 31-year-old from Charleston, South Carolina, went through a knee surgery after Wimbledon and the Australian Open was her first tournament since.
