Defending champion Li Na of China overcame a case of jitters to reach the French Open third round with 6-0, 6-2 win over France's Stephanie Foretz Gacon on Thursday.

Li Na, 30, the seventh seed and Asia's first and only Grand Slam singles winner, romped through the first set breaking all of Gacon 's serve, then in the fourth game of the second set she met some trouble and fell on the first break point with a double fault.

She regrouped and allowed Gacon to hold serve only once before sealing the win in 53 minutes.

Li said she had expected a tough match against a French player.

"At the beginning I was a little nervous, as I know the hometown crowd could be very crazy rooting for their players," she said.

"It is sensible for the crowd to support their players, and I think back in China, it is the same case," she said.

"So I knew I could not give her any chance from the start, and when I pulled away, I felt rather relaxed," she added.

China's Zheng Jie was eliminated in straight sets at the French Open yesterday, leaving her compatriots Li Na and Peng Shuai to carry on the Asian campaign in women's singles at Roland Garros.