• Former world No1 cruises past Magdalena Rybarikova
• Belgian will face No31 seed Gisela Dulko in second round

The former world No1 Justine Henin continued her remarkable return from retirement with a 6-2, 6-2 demolition of Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova in the first round of the Indian Wells WTA tournament.

The 27-year-old Belgian, a wildcard entry at the tournament she won in 2004, broke her opponent twice in each set to triumph in 68 minutes.

“It’s a great feeling,” Henin said after booking her place in the next round against the No31 seed, Gisela Dulko of Argentina. “It’s a tournament I like a lot and I won here six years ago. It seems like a long time ago.”

Henin has reached successive finals since returning to the circuit in January after quitting the game in 2008 and she totally outclassed her opponent. The Belgian broke Rybarikova in the first and third games of the match to sweep through the opening set in 36 minutes.

Showing no signs of rust in her first match since losing to Serena Williams in the Australian Open final in late January, Henin broke the Slovakian’s serve twice more early in the second set to coast to victory.

Well though she played, however, she believes it will take her another couple of months before she reaches her top level physically.

“I still need a few more tournaments,” Henin said. “In Australia I proved to myself that I could make it, that I didn’t really need a lot of competition to be at a pretty good level. But I see further than that and with the French Open and Wimbledon, I hope at that time I can be at my best level and in good shape to perform really well.”