Kyle Edmund came through a five-set epic with Stephane Robert to earn the greatest win of his career and first in the main draw of a Grand Slam.
Edmund, fresh from qualifying, was contending with a partisan home crowd against the veteran Frenchman as the sun was setting on Day 2 of the tournament.
Despite losing the opener 6-2, the youngster, who will now face an exciting clash with Australian Nick Kyrgios, roared back playing some sublime tennis to take the next two 6-4, 6-3.
With the noise and drama rising his 35-year-old opponent levelled proceedings by taking the fourth 7-5 but some crushing forehands in his first fifth set saw him over the line 6-2.
Andy Murray and Heather Watson also got their French Open campaigns off to victorious starts as five Brits were in action on Day 1 in Paris.
What better way to end your bank holiday weekend! As the clock struck 5.15pm in Great Britain, four British players were still on court at Roland Garros.
Johanna Konta and Edmund had just begun their warm-ups as Watson was rounding off her straight sets win over Mathilde Johansson and Murray was in the middle of his first set with Facundo Arguello.
Murray took his ten match winning streak on clay to Philippe Chatrier to face the Argentine and broke early in every set on his way to a 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 victory.
The British No.1 was pegged back to 3-3 from a 3-0 lead in the opening set but stamped his authority on the match thereafter and kept his spirited opponent at bay to win in just under 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Afterwards, Murray said: “I was nervous today, always the first round of the majors are tough and it was quite windy and difficult conditions at the start.
“I am glad to have got through and hopefully I can play better as the tournament goes on.”
Watson will play Sloane Stephens next after demonstrating all of her battling qualities in windy conditions to overcome her French opponent 6-4, 7-5.
Twice a break down in the opening set and three times a break down in the second, the British No.1 kept her composure to claw past the hard-hitting Johansson and take her place in Round 2 for the fourth time.
Konta was involved in one of the longest tie-breaks in French Open history during her match with Denisa Allertova.
Eight set points came and went in the first set breaker for the British No.2 before the Czech player took it 19-17 but Konta broke serve twice in the second set to draw level 6-4.
It wasn’t to be though as despite going to toe to toe, Allertova broke clear in the third to snatch it 6-2.
Earlier in the day Aljaz Bedene, playing his first Grand Slam match as a GB citizen, went down 3-6, 4-6, 7-6(6), 3-6 to in-form Austrian Dominic Thiem.
Bedene saved two match points in the third set against the world No.31 but Thiem, on the back of winning the Open de Nice Cote d'Azur, closed it out in four sets.