Fourth seed Tomas
Berdych eased into the second round at the French Open with a 6-0 7-5 6-3
victory over Japanese qualifier Yoshihito Nishioka.
Berdych has not made it
to the semi-finals at Roland Garros since 2010 and has lost at the first hurdle
on five occasions, but the Czech was never in danger on Suzanne Lenglen,
winning in one hour and 47 minutes.
The victory is Berdych's
10th on clay this year and the 28-year-old said he feels in good form as he
bids to end his wait for a first grand slam title.
Fourth seed Tomas Berdych celebrates his comfortable victory over Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka on Monday
Nishioka serves during his French Open first-round match against Berdych at Roland Garros
Berdych gets down low to return a shot to Nishioka during their French Open first-round clash in Paris
'I just came into the
tournament after some very, very good weeks on the clay, which is very
important to me,' said Berdych, who will face his veteran compatriot Radek Stepanek
in round two.
'I've been playing a lot
of matches, and winning a lot of them, and also in between those weeks I had
some very good preparation.
'So everything has been aimed for this tournament, it's one of the slams, and I definitely want to go and do well.
'I'm feeling physically
and mentally strong, and that's the best possible start that I can have.
'I just now have to be
patient, keep working for the two weeks, and try to go as far as I can.'
Nishioka plays a forehand shot to Berdych during their French Open first-round match at Roland Garros
Berdych serves during his French Open first-round match against Nishioka at Roland Garros on Monday
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