Paris ? Serena Williams’ “Come on!” count was rising rapidly.

Her first French Open match since 2004 hardly went according to plan at the outset Sunday, and Williams kept grimacing and admonishing herself as each shaky shot helped her 91st-ranked opponent race ahead by a set and a service break.

Then, suddenly, the eight-time major champion’s strokes began heeding her shouts. Williams ran off 12 of the last 13 games to beat Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 in a match interrupted 6 hours, 16 minutes by rain.

“I often get upset. I usually just hide it, but I guess I didn’t do too well hiding it today,” Williams said after improving to 30-0 in the first round of Grand Slam tournaments. “I’m always fighting, you know? I’m thinking, ‘I’ve got to fight.’ If I’m going to go down, I’m going to go down screaming and kicking.”

Hers was one of only seven matches played on a wet Day 1 at Roland Garros, and the short list of women’s winners included No. 1 Justine Henin – Williams’ possible quarterfinal foe – No. 10 Dinara Safina and unseeded Tamira Paszek of Austria.

Safina’s older brother, No. 22 Marat Safin, was the only seeded man who played, and the two-time major winner easily beat Fernando Vicente of Spain 6-1, 6-3, 6-1. It was the only match completed before the lengthy rain delay.

“It just kept raining,” the eighth-seeded Williams said. “It didn’t bother me. I think I fell asleep at some point.”