CAPE TOWN – South Africa's Kevin Anderson blitzed his Italian opponent Paolo Lorenzi with 18 aces en route to a 6-1 6-2 6-4 to a first-round French Open win on Tuesday.
Playing on Court 7 at Roland-Garros, the match was rain-interrupted in the third set by which time Anderson had run up a commanding 6-1 6-2 2-0 lead.
When play resumed the sixth-seeded Anderson made short shrift of Lorenzi's challenge and closed out the set 6-4 after trailing 0-3 earlier on to advance to the second round.
The unseeded Lorenzi has yet to record a career win over Anderson in five meetings on tour.
On the neighbouring Court 8, Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas won his first-round encounter 6-4 6-3 6-2 against Aljaz Bedene.
The unseeded Cuevas will now meet Anderson in the second round.
In a doubles match on Court 4, the 10th seeds South Africa’s Raven Klaasen and Michael Venus of New Zealand defeated the French pair Corentin Denolly and Alexandre Muller 6-3 6-3.