Second seed Coco Gauff forgot to bring her rackets to the court but reminded her rivals of her French Open title ambitions with a thumping 6-2 6-2 win over unseeded Australian Olivia Gadecki in the opening round.
The American former runner-up grinned sheepishly and showed her empty bag as her entourage scampered to supply her with her equipment after discovering she had left the rackets in the changing rooms ahead of the midday clash.
The Madrid and Rome finalist made up for the short delay by powering through the opening three games and bagged the first set with a battling hold after dropping her service earlier.
There was no looking back from there as Gauff tightened her grip on the match despite the blustery conditions and closed out a comfortable victory.
"Honestly, I thought they put the rackets in the bag, and my side court bag is filled with drinks and everything," Gauff told Sloane Stephens on TNT.
"So it felt like I had enough weight. Then I got on court, and I opened the first zipper. I was like, 'OK, no rackets'. The second zipper ... 'Oh my God. I went on court with no rackets'."
Mirra Andreeva eased into the second round with a 6-4 6-3 victory over Spain's Cristina Bucsa to continue her fine form this season.
Andreeva, a surprise semi-finalist in Paris at the age of 17 last year, needed time to get going after quickly finding herself two breaks down and 3-0 behind in the first set.
The Russian teenager had trouble finding her range with 11 unforced errors in the opening six games.
"I can say she played amazing especially in the beginning," Andreeva said. "I felt I was playing not bad but how is it I am 0-3 behind? I told myself to keep playing."
Gauff's compatriot and former runner-up Sofia Kenin also advanced after a 6-3 6-1 win over French number one Varvara Gracheva while Hailey Baptiste beat 2023 semi-finalist Beatriz Haddad Maia 4-6 6-3 6-1.
Former world number one Victoria Azarenka became the oldest woman in the professional era since 1968 to win a singles Grand Slam main draw match with a 6-0 6-0 scoreline, after the 35-year-old dished out a double bagel to Yanina Wickmayer.
Marketa Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion, breezed past Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-4 6-4.
