Sam Stosur of Australia defeated Britain’s Elena Baltacha in the opening round of the French Open.

Stosur, the reigning U.S. Open champion, beat Baltacha 6-4, 6-0 on the opening day of the clay-court Grand Slam event held at Roland Garros in Paris.

The sixth-seeded Stosur made the finals in Paris in 2010, where she lost to Italy’s Francesca Schiavone. Former U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick and five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams are scheduled to play later today.

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