Ana Ivanovic in action against Sofia Arvidsson on Sunday. (AFP)

Paris: Novak Djokovic sluggishly began his quest for a second straight Grand Slam title by holding off Denis Gremelmayr 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 on Sunday in the first round of the French Open.

The first seeded player to lose was No. 15 Nicole Vaidisova. She reached the French Open semi-finals in 2006 and the quarter finals last year, but was upset by Iveta Benesova 6-7 (2-7), 1-6.

Vaidisova reached the fourth round at the Australian Open, but she has now lost six straight matches. “It’s always hard to play your best friend,” the 19-year-old Vaidisova said.

Vaidisova double-faulted on match point to put the 70th-ranked Benesova into the second round at Roland Garros for the fourth time.

In the first set, Benesova jumped to a 5-0 lead in the tiebreaker.

Two-time Grand Slam runner-up Ana Ivanovic also struggled before advancing on the opening day by beating Sofia Arvidsson 6-2, 7-5.

Australian Open champion Djokovic was broken in his first two service games on center court and trailed 1-5 in the first set before finding some of his game in the second.

In the third set, Djokovic's emotions started coming out, starting with a throw of his racket into the red clay after Gremelmayr hit a forehand winner in the opening game.

Djokovic then took a 4-1 lead after breaking his German opponent in the fifth game of the third set. Trailing 15-30 in that game, the pair traded 28 shots before Djokovic won the point with a smash near the net. The third-seeded Serb then raised his arms over his head and leaned over the net to applause while Gremelmayr looked on smiling.

But after Djokovic took a 5-1 lead in the third set, Gremelmayr won four straight games to tie it at 5-5.

In the men's draw, No. 6 David Nalbandian and No. 7 James Blake won. Blake's 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) victory over Rainer Schuettler made him the first American man to reach the second round at Roland Garros since 2006.

Ivanovic also beat Arvidsson in the first round at Roland Garros last year, winning 6-2, 6-0 on her way to the final, where she lost to Justine Henin. The Belgian is not defending her title, having announced her retirement this month.

Ivanovic will face Lucie Safarova in the second round. The Czech player beat Sandra Kloesel of Germany 6-1, 6-1.

At last year's French Open, American men went 0-9 in the first round, with Blake losing to Ivo Karlovic.

Blake is 9-6 on clay this year, but he struggled to finally beat Schuettler, who has lost in the first round at Roland Garros in seven of his nine appearances.

Blake won the first set on the first break of serve in the match, and then raced out to a 5-0 lead in the second set. In the third set, Blake led 5-1 but his German opponent won five straight games to go ahead 6-5. Nalbandian, a two-time French Open semi-finalist, advanced to the second round by beating Carlos Berlocq of Argentina 6-2, 6-4, 6-1.

Later Sunday, eight-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams was to face Ashley Harkleroad and former champions Gustavo Kuerten and Carlos Moya were scheduled to play.