Rafael Nadal began his quest for a 10th French Open title with a straight-sets victory over teenager Quentin Halys. Frenchman Halys, an 18-year-old wildcard, had the Roland Garros crowd on his side but was not consistent enough to trouble the champion.
And 6th seed Nadal, 28, won 6-3 6-3 6-4 in an hour and 50 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier.
The Spaniard is in the same half of the draw as top seed Novak Djokovic, who beat Jarkko Nieminen 6-2 7-5 6-2.
Djokovic, 28, has now won 23 matches in a row as he bids to claim his first title at Roland Garros and become the 8th man to complete the career Grand Slam.
He was given a useful workout by Finland’s Nieminen, the 33-year-old taking a surprise 5-2 lead in the second set.
That merely served to bring the best out of Djokovic, who won the next 9 games in a row to effectively seal victory.
He could meet Nadal – who has slipped down the world rankings during a disappointing clay-court season by his standards – as early as the quarter-finals.
Nadal took the first step in that direction, and improved his record at Roland Garros to 67 wins and 1 defeat, with a solid opening effort.
There were a few worried glances to coach Toni Nadal in the stand when one service game went against him in a scratchy first set, but the nine-time champion made just one error in the 2nd.
Halys, the US Open boys’ runner-up in 2014, showed enough flashes of talent to engage his home crowd with his forehand, drop shot and willingness to attack the net.
Nadal was restricted to a single break of serve in the 2nd and 3rd sets but it was all he needed to earn a second-round meeting with compatriot Nicolas Almagro.
“When I’ve had some up and downs during the season, it’s normal that can happen here,” said Nadal.
“I am trying to avoid that. I am here to try to play good tennis and give myself a chance to play well and compete for everything.
“My mentality and my goal is the same always.”
French Open: Nadal and Djokovic through first round ties
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