Rio Open presented by Claro champion Diego Schwartzman wasted little time securing his position in the second round at Roland Garros, defeating France's Calvin Hemery 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 on Monday.
The Buenos Aires native won 71 per cent of second-serve return points to notch his fifth win at the event after 87 minutes. Schwartzman, the No. 11 seed, converted six of his 11 break-point opportunities and saved the only break point he faced against the 23-year-old.
The 5'7" star, who fell in five sets to Novak Djokovic in the third round last year, will need to beat Czech Adam Pavlasek to return to the Round of 32.
The World No. 185 came from a set down to stun Diema Xtra Sofia Open champion Mirza Basic 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-2, 6-2. Pavlasek, who also reached the second round in 2016, saved all three break points he faced and hit 16 aces in the two-hour, 24-minute triumph.
Richard Gasquet also made swift progress, dropping just four games to beat Italy's Andreas Seppi 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
"I think that everything is going for me," Gasquet said. "Today was great. I hope the next match will be as good. It's always a pleasure for me to play here. It's quite different from other tournaments. The atmosphere is totally different. It's a good feeling to be here."
Gasquet recorded his 102nd Grand Slam match win in style, joining Henri Cochet in third place on the all-time list for most match wins at the majors by a Frenchman. The 31-year-old converted eight of 16 break points and won 62 per cent of return points to advance. Gasquet will meet Tunisia's Malek Jaziri in the second round. The TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open finalist edged Russia's Mikhail Youzhny 2-6, 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.
"All the matches are hard, and they're getting harder and harder every time for me," Gasquet admitted. "I had much more stamina when I was [ranked] eighth or ninth. But it's always complicated. I think Jaziri, it will be a difficult match."
France's Benoit Paire needed two hours and 45 minutes to overcome Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3, 6-7(3), 7-6(9), 6-1. The World No. 51 58 winners, including 23 aces, against the Ecuador Open champion, who was bidding to win his first main-draw match at the event. Paire converted his sixth set point in the 20-point third set tie-break before racing into the second round.
Marco Trungelliti's rushed journey back to Paris proved to be a wise decision, with the Argentine defeating Australia's Bernard Tomic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.
The 28-year-old, who lost in the final round of qualifying, had left the country, but drove back from Barcelona on Sunday to take a lucky loser spot in the draw after Nick Kyrgios' withdrawal.
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The Argentine hit 68 winners to 37 unforced errors in his win over Tomic, who was appearing in the main draw at Roland Garros for the eighth consecutive year, to progress after two hours and 54 minutes.
Trungelliti will face Gazprom Hungarian Open champion Marco Cecchinato in the second round. The Italian rallied from two sets to love down to beat Marius Copil 2-6, 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-2, 10-8.
Did You Know?
Diego Schwartzman's two best results at Grand Slam events came in his most recent appearances. The 5'7" Argentine reached the quarter-finals at the 2017 US Open (l. to Carreno Busta) before reaching the Round of 16 at the 2018 Australian Open (l. to Nadal).