Gusty winds and half-empty stands gave no sense of the usual Parisian glamour as last year's beaten French Open tennis finalist Samantha Stosur began with an easy win and Lleyton Hewitt pulled out injured.
Stosur shook off the effects of a virus to beat Czech Iveta Benesova 6-2 6-3 on a sunbathed, yet windswept court Philippe Chatrier.
This year's French Open has been hit hard by injuries and Hewitt, the Australian former world number one, added to the list of absentees when he pulled out because of a left ankle problem.
American Andy Roddick and former champion Juan Carlos Ferrero both pulled out on the eve of the year's second grand slam, joining the likes of Serena and Venus Williams and Dinara Safina in being forced to miss out.
Croatian Marin Cilic would certainly get the feeling his tournament was finished before it had properly started as the 19th seed was sent packing with a 7-6 6-4 6-4 defeat by Spain's Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo.
There was no smell of an upset on as seventh seed David Ferrer of Spain thrashed Finn Jarkko Nieminen 6-3 6-3 6-1 to advance into round two.
French women players wore a black ribbon in memory of Virginie Razzano's coach and fiance Stephane Vidal, who died of a brain tumour earlier this month.
