Henin beat Bulgaria’s Tsvetana Pironkova 6-4, 6-3 to reach the second round but Safina crashed out, losing 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 to Date Krumm, who became the second oldest winner of a Roland Garros match since Virginia Wade in 1985.
Men’s sixth seed Andy Roddick came through a five-setter to beat Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, while second-seeded clay king Rafael Nadal outgunned Frenchman Gianni Mina 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.
Nadal, who suffered his only defeat at Roland Garros in last year's fourth round, was rarely stretched by the 18-year-old French wildcard, and the hustling Mallorcan delighted the Court Suzanne Lenglen crowd to a trademark rampaging win.
Later in the evening, Maria Sharapova eased into the second round with a 6-3, 6-2 win over fellow-Russian Ksenia Pervak.
Henin, the number 22 seed, is appearing at her first French Open since she last won the event in 2007, having retired from tennis in 2008 and then returned to the sport at the beginning of this year.
The 27-year-old Belgian will now face Czech Klara Zakopalova.Date Krumm, who reached the semifinals here back in 1995, will meet Australian wildcard Jarmila Groth in round two after seeing off a sour-tempered Safina, whose season has been hampered by a lower back injury.
Russian 29th seed Anastasiya Pavlyuchenkova booked her place in the next round with a 6-4, 6-2 defeat of home favourite Alize Cornet, while Slovakian 23rd seed Daniela Hantuchova trounced Thai veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-1, 6-1.
Israeli 18th seed Shahar Peer and Russian 21st seed Vera Zvonareva will also compete for a place in round three after both won in straight sets.
Roddick will face either Eduardo Schwank of Argentina or Slovenia’s Blaz Kavcic for a place in the last 32 after his five-set ordeal against Nieminen on Philippe Chatrier.
Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, the seventh seed, breezed past Russia’s Igor Kunitsyn 6-4, 6-2, 6-2, but Argentine 26th seed Juan Monaco fell 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 to Slovenian qualifier Grega Zemlja, the world 141.
Austrian 22nd seed Juergen Melzer defeated Israel’s Dudi Sela but 18th seed Sam Querrey of the USA lost in four sets to countryman Robby Ginepri.
RESULTS
First-round results (prefix denotes seeding): Men: 28-Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) bt Jeremy Chardy (Fra) 7-5, 6-0, 6-4; Denis Istomin (Uzb) bt Benjamin Becker (Ger) 7-5, 7-5, 6-3; 2-Rafael Nadal (Spa) bt Gianni Mina (Fra) 6-2, 6-2, 6-2; Horacio Zeballos (Arg) bt Martin Fischer (Aut) 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (8-10), 1-6, 6-4, 8-6; 9-David Ferrer (Spa) bt David Guez (Fra) 6-1, 6-3, 6-1; Andreas Seppi (Ita) bt Santiago Ventura (Spa) 7-5, 6-4, 7-5; 16-Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spa) bt Pablo Cuevas (Uru) 6-4, 6-3, 6-1; Pere Riba (Spa) bt Marc Gicquel (Fra) 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5); Blaz Kavcic (Slo) bt Eduardo Schwank (Arg) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 4-0 (retd); 30-Philipp Kohlschreiber (Ger) bt Karol Beck (Slv) 7-6 (9-7), 6-1, 6-1; 6-Andy Roddick (US) bt Jarkko Nieminen (Fin) 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3; Florent Serra (Fra) bt Michael Russell (US) 6-4, 6-0, 6-1; Potito Starace (Ita) bt Illya Marchenko (Ukr) 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 6-3, 6-3; Nicolas Mahut (Fra) bt Mischa Zverev (Ger) 6-1, 6-2, 6-4; 22-Juergen Melzer (Aut) bt Dudi Sela (Isr) 7-5, 6-2, 6-4; Robby Ginepri (US) bt 18-Sam Querrey (US) 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 6-2; Grega Zemlja (Slo) bt 26-Juan Monaco (Arg) 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 7-5, 6-3; 7-Fernando Verdasco (Esp) bt Igor Kunitsyn (Rus) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2; Teimuraz Gabashvili (Rus) bt Daniel Koellerer (Aut) 6-2, 6-2, 6-1.
Women: 12-Maria Sharapova (Rus) bt Ksenia Pervak (Rus) 6-3, 6-2; 25-Zheng Jie (Chn) bt Ekaterina Bychkova (Rus) 7-5, 6-4; 16-Yanina Wickmayer (Bel) bt Sandra Zahlavova (Cze) 6-1, 6-1; 13-Marion Bartoli (Fra) bt Maria Elena Camerin (Ita) 6-2, 6-3; Kimiko Date Krumm (Jpn) bt 9-Dinara Safina (Rus) 3-6, 6-4, 7-5; Jill Craybas (US) beat Katie O'Brien (Bri) 6-0, 4-6, 6-2; 22-Justine Henin (Bel) bt Tsvetana Pironkova (Bul) 6-4, 6-3; 21-Vera Zvonareva (Rus) bt Alberta Brianti (Ita) 6-3, 6-1; 29-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Rus) bt Alize Cornet (Fra) 6-4, 6-2; Anastasia Rodionova (Aus) bt Ekaterina Makarova (Rus) 6-3, 6-2; 18-Shahar Peer (Isr) bt Nuria Llagostera Vives (Esp) 6-1, 6-4; Kirsten Flipkens (Bel) bt Ayumi Morita (Jpn) 6-1, 6-4; 23-Daniela Hantuchova (Slo) bt Tamarine Tanasugarn (Tha) 6-1, 6-1; 31-Alexandra Dulgheru (Rom) bt Lucie Hradecka (Cze) 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 6-3; Yaroslava Shvedova (Kaz) bt Sara Errani (Ita) 6-1, 7-5; Kaia Kanepi (Est) bt Pauline Parmentier (Fra) 6-3, 6-1; Rossana de los Rios (Par) bt Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (Cze) 7-6 (7-2), 6-3; Magdalena Rybarikova (Slo) bt Sofia Arvidsson (Swe) 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-2.