Crowd darling Richard Gasquet got to fight another day in his final French Open appearance as he dispatched fellow Frenchman Terence Atmane 6-2 2-6 6-3 6-0 in the first round.
Playing in a record 22nd French Open, Gasquet, who will retire after Roland Garros, got off to a great start before losing the plot, only to be put back into the driving seat when his opponent suffered from cramp.
Midway through the third set, Atmane screamed in pain at the change of ends but was not allowed a medical time out as per tournament regulations.
The rest of the match was a stroll for the three-time Grand Slam semi-finalist, who prevailed on his sixth match point.
He will next face either world number one Jannik Sinner of Italy, or compatriot Arthur Rinderknech.
"I was disrupted by injuries, it was not easy for me to be ready for the tournament but I'm here and I'll try to enjoy as long as I can," said Gasquet.
"I'll be playing another match on Thursday, that makes me happy," he added as the Philippe Chatrier crowd chanted his name.
Carlos Alcaraz got the defence of his French Open title up and running with a straight-sets win over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri.
The 22-year-old Spaniard, looking for a second Roland Garros crown and a fifth grand slam title, won 6-3 6-4 6-2 in just under two hours.
Alcaraz was consigned to play on Court Suzanne-Longlen, presumably because he prefers not to play later in day, which he may have had to on the main court, Phillipe-Chatrier.
He also had to deal with a late change in opponent, having originally been drawn against former world number four Kei Nishikori.
"I think it was really, really solid," he said. "The first round for every tournament is never easy and probably coming here as defending champion, it could be even tougher.
"But I just started pretty well, I kept my good pace during the match, which is great.
"I tried to be really focused on my game
"Hopefully I'll keep going in the next round but I’m just really, really proud about my start here in Roland Garros."
Former finalist Casper Ruud also got off to a flying start, the Norwegian seventh seed disposing of Spanish qualifier Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3 6-4 6-2.
