
Rafael Nadal began the defense of his title at Roland Garros with a straightforward 6-3 6-3 6-4 win over French wildcard Quentin Halys.

Nadal was at his stingy best in the second set, making just one unforced error. But he faces a stiffer test in the second round against Nicolas Almagro.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic followed Nadal on court and defeated Finnish veteran Jarkko Nieminen, also in three sets.

But Nieminen didn't go down without a fight. He led 5-3 in the second set. The crowd -- and Djokovic -- was appreciative of his effort.

Women's world No. 1 Serena Williams, bidding for a third French Open crown, eased past Andrea Hlavackova 6-2 6-3.

The French Open is Williams' least productive grand slam. Only two of her 19 majors have come in Paris.

Eugenie Bouchard's slump persists. A semifinalist last year, Bouchard was bundled out in the first round by Kristina Mladenovic.

Bouchard has now lost eight of her last nine matches. She has even more points to defend at the next grand slam, Wimbledon.

Petra Kvitova won Wimbledon last year but didn't get past the third round at any other major in 2014. She came close to suffering another early exit, dragged into a third set against Marina Erakovic. But Kvitova won the last two games to prevail 6-4 in the final set.

Remember Marin Cilic? He's the U.S. Open champion. But since winning in New York last summer, injuries have meant he hasn't been able to keep up the momentum. Cilic, though, began by cruising past Robin Haase in around 1 1/2 hours.