The 24-year-old Malaysian singles shuttler, ranked 32nd in the world,  was stretched all the way by Johanita, ranked 71 notches below her, in the first game before prevailing 23-21.

She regained her rhythm and breezed through the second game 21-11 at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena here.

Jin Wei will have to pull up her socks as she will face a greater challenge against world No 17, Kim Ga Eun, of South Korea, on Wednesday.

Only the group winner will advance to the knockout stage.

“I was nervous and tense. I don’t know what happened (in the first game).

“I was almost shaking, like I had not been playing before. Luckily, I got back my rhythm in the second game to register the win.

“But I will have a lot of work to do in the second match, like improving  court control.

“The crowd here is amazing. They support both players,” she said after her victory under the guidance of Academy Badminton Malaysia  coaching director Rexy Mainaky and men’s doubles coach Tan Bin Shen.

The professional player’s coach, Nova Armada, could not accompany her to Paris because of the limited accreditations to the national contingent.

Jin Wei, the 2015 and 2018 world junior champion, has yet to gain her  form since undergoing colectomy surgery in 2019 for a stomach ailment.

She has only won once in three matches against Ga Uen, with the South Korean emerging on top at their last encounter at the 2022 Korean Open.