Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova saved a match point before rallying to beat Belgian qualifier Greet Minnen 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-1 in the first round at the French Open.
Kvitova, who reached the semifinals at Roland Garros in 2012 and last year, next faces either Elena Vesnina or Belarussian qualifier Olga Govortsova.
The 11th-seeded Kvitova has reached two quarterfinals on clay this year -- in Stuttgart, Germany, and Madrid.
Kvitova commanded with 43 winners to Minnen’s 17. She saved a match point at 5-6 in the second.
Earlier, Naomi Osaka overcame a slew of mistakes to win in her return to the French Open and then did something no one knew whether she would: She spoke briefly to the crowd.
The No. 2-ranked Osaka has said she won't participate in news conferences at Roland Garros — and she did not do a pre-tournament session with the media.
Three-time Grand Slam champion and former No. 1 Angelique Kerber already is gone from the French Open with a third consecutive first-round loss.
The 26th-seeded Kerber was beaten 6-2, 6-4 to Anhelina Kalinina, a qualifier from Ukraine ranked 139th making her tournament debut.
