Favorites Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek cruised into the second round of their respective French Open campaigns Monday.
The Spaniard was off with a commanding 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri, showcasing his trademark blend of speed, strength and composure.
The defending champion wasted little time seeing off the world No. 310 on the Suzanne Lenglen court at the Roland Garros stadium, setting up a meeting with Hungary's Fabian Marozsan.
"It was really solid, the first round of a Grand Slam is never easy, especially coming here as the defending champion," Alcaraz said to a nearly packed court after his victory.
"I started well and kept a good pace during the match, I tried to be focused on my game, to get a good rhythm. I'm really proud of my start here at Roland Garros."
Alcaraz quickly took the measure of his opponent and broke for 3-1 in the opening set as he dusted every corner of the court, setting the stage for a comfortable eighth straight win at the French Open.
Zeppieri offered more resistance in the second set, but Alcaraz snatched the decisive break in the seventh game and never looked back.
He wrapped it up on his second match point when Zeppieri netted a service return.
Meanwhile, in the women's competition, Iga Swiatek entered the tournament on a near yearlong trophy drought but showed signs of form in a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova.
Her struggles since the last of her four French Open titles have been well documented, but she broke her 42nd-ranked opponent four times in a strong display.
The five-time Grand Slam champion's remarkable win-loss record in the tournament now stands at 36-2.
"I knew I needed to stay proactive and try to use my weapons. I'm happy with my performance and it was a solid match," said Swiatek, who also beat Sramkova in the second round of this year's Australian Open.
Swiatek, who has dropped to fifth in the world rankings, will next face former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu after the Briton defeated China's Wang Xinyu 7-5, 4-6, 6-3.
Raducanu is playing at the French Open for the first time since a second-round exit on her debut in 2022.
Former Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina battled past Argentinian qualifier Julia Riera 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, two days after lifting her first WTA title since April 2024 in Strasbourg.
