For the second day in a row, rain was an issue at Roland Garros on Monday, forcing early interruptions. However, Maria Sharapova was not effected making quick work of Ksenia Pervak 6-1 6-2 prior to a delay. In a match that took just over an hour, the 7th seed steamrolled the young Russian and will move on to face Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria in the second round. In a day where many competitors were at the mercy of the weather early, Sharapova was happy to advance without delay.

“It's always nice to get out there on a day like this,” she said. “It's good to play (the) first match.” Sharapova, the 2012 champion, has an eye on her fifth Grand Slam title but could be on a collision course with world No. 1 Serena Williams in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova finished with a fury against Virginie Razzano of France in her opening match in Paris. The 9th seed overcame a break deficit in the first set, storming back to take the last eight games of the match as she advanced 7-5 6-0. Barring an upset, the Slovak could see Sharapova in the round of 16.

It was a mixed bag for the French home hopes on Monday with three women from the host nation eliminated, including Razzano. However, 20th seed Alize Cornet had a different result. Discussing her 10th appearance at her home Grand Slam, Cornet had said, “It's my 10th birthday at Roland Garros. I hope they're going to bring a cake on the court!”  She did not receive cake but enjoyed home cooking nonetheless, impressively defeating Ashleigh Barty of Australia 6-2 6-1 in just 59 minutes.

Viewed by some as a dark horse prior to the tournament, Cornet did not disagree. “I think that this year might be my best chance to go the furthest I've been,” she asserted. After her victory on Monday, Cornet was asked about the relationship between her and the home crowd, which has fluctuated over the years. “The crowd gets really nicer and nicer with me,” she said. “The French crowd is a tough one, but when you have it with you it's unbelievable. Today was not really a tight match, but I felt that the crowd was always behind me and it feels really good.”

A Frenchwoman also provided the first significant upset of the women’s tournament when Pauline Parmentier eliminated 17th-seeded Roberta Vinci 3-6 6-3 6-2. Parmentier entered Roland Garros ranked No. 145 in the world.

After a quick start by the American women, Monday saw little success as Christina McHale, Vania King, and Lauren Davis were all eliminated. Taylor Townsend was the sole American to advance, defeating King for her first career win at a Grand Slam.

Notable seeds to advance with ease included 5th seed Petra Kvitova, 19th seed Samantha Stosur, 16th seed Sabine Lisicki, 12th seed Flavia Pennetta, and 18th seed Eugenie Bouchard. Each advanced in commanding fashion.