Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland reacts during the Men's Singles first round match against Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic on day two of the 2016 French Open at Roland Garros on May 23, 2016 in Paris, France.
Image by: Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images / Getty Images
Image by: Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images / Getty Images
Defending champion Stan Wawrinka dazzled the moment he walked on to a gloomy Philippe Chatrier Court in a fluorescent yellow shirt but it was a while before his play matched his attire.
The 31-year-old was left in the shade by Czech Lukas Rosol for much of their first-round clash but he finally came to life to win 4-6 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-4.
It was touch and go for a while, though, as Rosol, who famously beat Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon second round in 2012, threatened another huge upset.
Urging himself on, Swiss Wawrinka levelled and broke in the third game of the decider to take control.
Torrential rain delayed the start of day two for two-and-a-half hours, adding to the frustration of Sunday's weather-hit false start to the year's second Grand Slam.
Women's fourth seed Garbine Muguruza struggled past Slovakia's Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in three sets.
It was a day to grind it out and last year's Wimbledon runner-up proved she has the tenacity and power to have a deep run, winning 3-6 6-3 6-3.
Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, champion 10 years ago, also progressed, beating Yaroslava Shvedova 4-6 6-1 6-4.
Simona Halep made short work of her opener, dropping only two games against Japan's Nao Hibino.
Men's fifth seed Kei Nishikori, a semi-finalist in Madrid and Rome, followed Wawrinka on to Chatrier with his job already half done against Simone Bolelli.
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