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The No.6 seed, who is a two-time quarter-finalist at the season's second Major, prevailed 6-2 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 7-5 in just more than three hours on Court Simonne-Mathieu.

Rublev triumphed on clay at the Madrid Open earlier this month and dominated the opening set.

Although, he threw his racquet to the ground in frustration after missing three set points in the second, with his Japanese opponent pegging him back in a tie-break.

However, the 26-year-old was not to be denied, taking the next two sets to book a showdown with either Pedro Martinez or Thiago Agustin Tirante in the second round.

It is now 10 years since Rublev was crowned the boys' singles champion at Roland Garros, while he reached the first of his two men's quarter-finals in 2020.

One of the most consistent players in recent years, he has now won 223 ATP matches since the start of the 2020 season, with only Daniil Medvedev (225) registering more during that time.