Paris: Fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov reached the French Open second round on Sunday, even if he wasn’t exactly sure who he was facing on the other side of the net.

Dimitrov had been drawn to face experienced Viktor Troicki in the tournament opener on Philippe Chatrier Court. However, just before he was due to go on court, Troicki withdrew with a back injury, allowing Egyptian world No. 182 Mohammad Safwat to make his Grand Slam debut.

In the process, he became the first Egyptian since Tamer El Sawy at the 1996 US Open to feature in a major.

“I was warming up and my coach said, ‘hey look’ and we saw up on the board that I was playing a different opponent,” said 27-year-old Dimitrov, a former Wimbledon semi-finalist. “I didn’t expect that.”

There was a world of difference between the two men on a sun-kissed centre court on Sunday in the first two sets.

But Safwat, one of seven lucky losers in the men’s draw, then overcame blisters on his right hand to put up a solid challenge in the third set before Dimitrov raced through the tiebreaker.

Dimitrov next faces either Jared Donaldson of the United States or Chile’s Nicolas Jarry.

Japan’s Kei Nishikori saw off the challenge of French youngster Maxime Janvier to book his spot in the second round. The 19th seed had to work hard to get past the plucky 21-year-old wildcard, but was always the stronger player in a 7-6 (7/0), 6-4, 6-3 victory on Court One.

Nishikori has risen back up the rankings after a strong clay-court season, which included a final loss to Rafael Nadal in Monte Carlo, having missed the early months of the campaign with right wrist injury.

The world No. 21, who reached the French Open quarter-finals in 2015 and 2017, will next take on either home hope Benoit Paire or Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena.

Janvier started brightly, with Nishikori having to stave off five break points in the fifth game as the opening set went to a tie-break.

But the former world No. 4 raced through the breaker without dropping a point as Janvier appeared to feel the pressure.

From then on Nishikori was always in control, although he did have to save two break points to serve out the second set, before easing through the third.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal, who starts his campaign for an 11th Roland Garros title on Monday, will also face a lucky loser.

Italy’s world 130 Simone Bolelli moved into the draw after Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov pulled out with a wrist injury.

Meanwhile, women’s fourth seed Elina Svitolina, a quarter-finalist in Paris in 2015 and 2017, overcame a first set 1-5 deficit to see off Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic 7-5, 6-3.

“To be ready for a Grand Slam is always the goal, the main goal for me,” said the 23-year-old Ukrainian, also a quarter-finalist at the Australian Open this year.

“I try to do everything what’s in my power to play my best game on the Grand Slams.”

Svitolina next faces either 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone, the 37-year-old Italian, or Slovakia’s Viktoria Kuzmova. Other early winners on Sunday included Estonian 25th seed Anett Kontaveit who downed Madison Brengle of the United States 6-1, 4-6, 6-2.

Kontaveit defeated Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki on her way to the semi-finals in Rome last week.

She was also a semi-finalist on clay in Stuttgart while also beating Venus Williams in Madrid.