With No. 1 ranking a possibility, No. 2 seed Karolina Pliskova cruises

It was a one-way traffic for No. 2-seeded Karolina Pliskova, who took out Madison Brengle, 6-2, 6-3, in the French Open first round on Sunday.

Three double faults cost Pliskova her opening service game, but she broke straight back, winning the next six games to pocket the first set. The second set was a straightforward one for the Czech, save for a minor hiccup where she was broken when serving for the match.

"It feels good obviously. First round is always tough, tricky," Pliskova said. "You don't know how you're going to feel, how you're going to play. But I had good couple days of practice, so I felt fine. Not perfect, but fine. And it was solid today."

The 27-year-old Czech was fresh off her Italian Open win, becoming the first Czech woman to win since Regina Marsikova in 1978.

With the win, Pliskova keeps her chances to reclaim the No. 1 spot alive. The Czech is one of three women hoping to capture the top ranking following the tournament, joining Naomi Osaka, Kiki Bertens and Petra Kvitova in the hunt. Angelique Kerber lost her bid after an opening round loss to 81st-ranked 18-year-old Anastasia Potapova earlier on Sunday. Pliskova and Bertens need to reach the final in order to have a shot, while Kvitova must win the title for her dream to stay alive. Top-ranked Osaka is currently in the driver's seat.

Pliskova, who reached the Roland Garros semifinals in 2017, will next play qualifier Kristina Kucova, who took out Svetlana Kuznetsova.

"I have Slovak girl next one, so it's going to be tough. But, you know, I feel like every time when I play tournaments, match from match, I improve. So hopefully that's going to happen here too," Pliskova said.