Samantha Stosur has begun her French Open campaign in style, storming into the second round with a 6-1 6-1 win over Puerto Rican Monica Puig.
Despite playing with a heavy strapping on her lower left leg, the Australian 19th seed produced one of her biggest wins of the season in just 58 minutes on Monday.
Stosur will next face 38th-ranked Austrian Yvonne Meusburger, who defeated Frenchwoman Amandine Hesse 3-6 6-3 6-4 to reach the second round.
Australia’s top-ranked player came into Roland Garros on the back of a frustrating season and hasn’t been past the third round of a grand slam since 2012.
But the 30-year-old is hoping a return to clay, and the grand slam where she was runner up in 2011 and a semi-finalist in 2009 and 2012, can spark a form revival.
The early signs are strong, given Stosur’s first-up opponent was no easybeat, but she has her work cut out in a quarter of the draw featuring the past two champions, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.
World No.41 Puig won her maiden WTA title in Strasbourg on Saturday, but Stosur never really let her into the match.
After a frustrating day of rain delays the match began just after 5pm local time in Paris.
Stosur arrived slightly late on court and appeared with strapping over her left calf muscle.
However any concerns over her fitness were quickly alleviated when she raced to a 3-0 lead.
While Puig was able to match Stosur’s power the Australian dominated in just about every other aspect to close out the first set in just 28 minutes.
Stosur maintained her level in the second, minimising her court time on a cool, damp evening.
Stosur and Meusburger, also 30, have never played each other on tour, with Australian Open runner-up Dominika Cibulkova a potential third-round opponent for the winner.