Roger Federer reached the French Open third round yesterday while defending women's champion Svetlana Kuznetsova needed to save four match points to stay afloat at a rain-drenched Roland Garros.
Federer, chasing a 17th Grand Slam title, overcame a sloppy first set, where he was plagued by 21 unforced errors, and had to save five break points, before defeating left-hander Alejandro Falla 7-6, 6-2, 6-4.
The world number one will now tackle German qualifier Julian Reister, the world 165, who had never won a tour match in his five years as a professional before coming to Paris.
"Reister? I think I've only warmed up with him once in Hamburg a couple of years ago. Obviously, I don't remember how he plays," said the top seed.
Federer went into his match buoyed by having already defeated world no.70 Falla twice without dropping a set, including in the second round of Roland Garros in 2006.
But he struggled throughout the opening set before getting the better of the Colombian, shrugging off the distractions of two rain interruptions.
Russian sixth seed Kuznetsova, who defeated Dinara Safina in the 2009 final, saved four match points before defeating world no.41 Andrea Petkovic.
After building up a 6-4, 5-4 lead, the 22-year-old German choked in the 10th game of the second set as she served for the match at 40-0.
The 24-year-old Russian then ran away to a 5-2 lead in the decider before Petkovic's challenge finally wilted after she had bravely saved three match points. Kuznetsova now faces compatriot Maria Kirilenko.
Swedish fifth seed Robin Soderling, who famously handed Rafael Nadal a first career defeat in Paris last year, crushed hapless American Taylor Dent 6-0, 6-1, 6-1 in just 71 minutes and will next face Spain's Albert Montanes.
Soderling's quickfire victory was just short of the record 68 minutes it took Jan Kodes to defeat Zeljko Franulovic in the 1970 final.
Women's world no.2 Venus Williams took 25 minutes longer than Soderling to make the last 32 with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Spain's Arantxa Parra Santonja.
Williams, the runner-up to sister Serena in 2002, next plays Slovakian 26th seed Dominika Cibulkova.
Third seed Caroline Wozniacki, of Denmark, went through with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Italy's Tathiana Garbin, 13 years her senior, and next faces Romania's Alexandra Dulgheru.
Like Soderling, men's eighth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was also in a hurry, taking just 79 minutes to clinch a 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 win over French compatriot Josselin Ouanna.
"I would rather have played somebody else, but that's the way it is," said 25-year-old Tsonga.
"I knew I had to start with intensity and grab him by the throat."
Also progressing to the third round were Croatian 10th seed Marin Cilic, 11th-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny and Albert Montanes, the 29th seeded Spaniard.