Svetlana Kuznetsova recovered from a terrible start to kick off her French Open title defence with a 6-3 6-1 win over Romanian Sorana Cirstea on Sunday.
The sixth-seeded Russian lost the first three games before getting her act together to see off the world number 34 on a sunsoaked centre court.
She clinched nine games in a row after the shaky opening, wrapping it up on her second match point with a backhand passing shot.
Kuznetsova, who had only one win under her belt on clay in this season’s European claycourt swing, will face compatriot Elena Vesnina or German Andrea Petkovic in the second round.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; editing by Miles Evans; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
