Iga Swiatek overcame a second set blip as the Pole reeled off five games in a row to secure a 6-3 6-3 victory over Rebecca Sramkova.
The four-time Roland Garros champion began her title defence with a straight sets victory over the Slovakian.
After a tricky opening set, Swiatek managed to unlock Sramkova’s stubborn defence to take the opening set.
In the second set Swiatek’s frailties and lack of confidence was there to see as she went down 3-1 against an inspired Sramkova who played some ridiculous shots.
However, the Pole showed her champion’s qualities and won five games in a row to book her place in the second round.
After the match Swiatek admitted she was happy with her level, “For sure It wasn’t an easy match because she played with a lot of freedom and she was going for her shots, especially her forehands down the line were pretty amazing,” Swiatek was quoted by the BBC Sport website as saying.
“I had to stay proactive and try to create and use my weapons, and that’s what I did. I am happy of my performance and it was a pretty solid match so I’m happy.”
Next up for Swiatek will be a clash against fellow Grand Slam champion Emma Raducanu after the Brit defeated Xinyu Wang 7-5 4-6 6-3.
It was a rollercoaster match which saw Raducanu struggling on court as she had to have her blood pressure taken.
The Brit fought valiantly in the second set but Wang was rewarded with her dominant start to the set by edging it out to level the match at one set all.
In the final set, Raducanu was all business as she dominated proceedings to close out the win and set up blockbuster showdown with Swiatek.
This will be the second consecutive Grand Slam meeting after Swiatek crushed Raducanu at this year’s Australian Open.
In other results Elena Rybakina survived a big scare against Julia Riera after the 12th seed won 6-1 4-6 6-4.
The Kazakh had entered the tournament in good form having secured the title in Strasbourg leading up to the event but was pushed to her limits by the Argentinian.
In the second round Rybakina will now face American wildcard Iva Jovic as she continues her bid for a second Grand Slam title.
Meanwhile there was a shock as Emma Navarro was thrashed in just under an hour by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro with the ninth seed only winning one game in the process.
