Carlos Alcaraz says he was glad to get through some "difficult moments" against Arthur Rinderknech as he won his first match since triumphing at last month's Australian Open.
Top seed Alcaraz had to save two set points in the second set but won 6-4 7-6 (7-5) against the unseeded Frenchman in the first round of the Qatar Open in Doha.
It was seven-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz's first match since beating Novak Djokovic in Melbourne to become the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam.
"It was really difficult," said the Spaniard.
"Arthur is a really dangerous player.