Reigning champion Li Na began the defence of her French Open title with a straightforward 6-2 6-1 victory over Sorana Cirstea.

The Chinese star beat the same opponent on her way to the 2011 trophy and will be hoping that is a positive omen as she looks for back-to-back Roland Garros wins.

Na started very brightly, producing some excellent baseline shots as she raced into a 3-0 lead.

It did not take long for her to wrap up the first set as she took it 6-2 in under thirty minutes.

Cirstea, despite picking up singles victories over Grand Slam finalists Marian Bartoli and Jalena Jankovic going into the tournament, struggled to match Na as she surrendered her serve three times in the second set.

Na meanwhile was much more convincing and served out the match to secure a straight sets win before an hour was on the clock.