Teenager Heather Watson, the 2009 US Open junior champion, became the first British woman in 17 years to win a match at the French Open, a victory which put her into the world's top 100 late on Monday.
Watson, 19, who was already the first British woman in 28 years to come through qualifying, claimed a 7-6(6), 6-1 win over French veteran Stephanie Foretz Gacon and will next tackle Estonia's 16th seed Kaia Kanepi.
Clare Wood was the last Briton to win a match at Roland Garros, in 1994.
“It was my goal to reach the world's top 100 by the end of the year, so I will have to set new goals for myself now. I'm so pleased,” said Watson, who celebrated her birthday last Friday.
“I'm really happy to get through the first round. I didn't feel nervous; I just went for it more. After the match, the lady said what time did I want to do media interviews. But I didn't know what she was talking about — I was in ‘happyland'.”
Watson said she was confident of continuing her progress at Roland Garros despite having to face the vastly-experienced Kanepi in the next round.
