Paris, June 1 Defending champion and world No. 3 Rafael Nadal of Spain began his quest for a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title and his 14th French Open crown – by overcoming Australian world No.63 Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(3) in the first round on Tuesday.
Nadal fired seven aces and won 81 per cent of his first-serve points to book a second-round clash against 34-year-old French veteran Richard Gasquet, ranked 53rd in the world.
Gasquet defeated country-mate Hugo Gaston, a wildcard, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.
With the win against Popyrin, Nadal now has a win-loss record of 101-2 at the Roland Garros.
Another Frenchman, 14th seed Gael Monfils, won his first match at a Grand Slam since the 2020 Australian Open by getting the better of 38th ranked Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-4 in the opening round.
Monfils will next meet 22-year-old Swede Mikael Ymer.
Seventh seed Andrey Rublev of Russia lost a marathon three-hour, 46-minute battle against German world No. 42 Jan-Lennard Struff, who won 6-3, 7-6(6), 4-6, 3-6, 6-4.
The 23-year-old Rublev, who has made it to the quarter-finals in his last three majors, had reached the Monte Carlo final in the build-up to the French Open, scoring a big win over Nadal on the way.
Nadal's win over Popyrin marked his 31st consecutive victory at Roland Garros, a streak dating back to 2015 when he lost to Serbian world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.
Four-time defending champion, Nadal is aiming for his 21st Grand Slam title, which would break his tie with Swiss legend Roger Federer and make him the sole owner of the record for most Grand Slam titles in men's singles.
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