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World
number two Djokovic, who received a first-round bye, broke his opponent's
serve four times to extend his winning run to 19 matches.
The
31-year-old Serb has returned to his brutal best this season with Grand Slam
wins at Wimbledon and the U.S Open, along with ATP Masters triumphs in
Cincinnati and Shanghai.
For
Djokovic to surpass top-ranked Rafa Nadal when the next edition of the ATP
rankings are released on Monday, he must outlast the Spaniard in the French
capital this week.
If both
players lose in the same round, Nadal will retain the world number one
ranking heading into the season-ending ATP Finals in London next month.
Canada's
Milos Raonic came from a set down to reach the second round with a
hard-fought 6-7(4) 7-6(5) 7-6(5) win over local favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
In a
meeting of former finalists, Raonic fired 23 aces and won 89 percent of
first-serve points to beat Tsonga in just under three hours.
The
27-year-old Raonic will next face Roger Federer, who is chasing his 100th
career title after winning the Swiss Indoors last week.
Fernando
Verdasco, who reached the quarter-finals last year, produced a clinical
display to defeat Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-4 6-4.
The
34-year-old Spaniard will meet compatriot Nadal in the second round on
Wednesday.
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Source: NDO
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