Joel Makin came through his French test to reach the second round of the Citigold Wealth Management Canary Wharf Classic in London.
The Haverfordwest-born player beat Gregoire Marche 11-5, 11-7 in 32 minutes.
Makin had lost his two previous PSA World Tour matches against the Frenchman, but this time came out on top.
The 24-year-old has risen to a career high 18 in the world and dispatched Marche – ranked one place above him – in the $109,000 tournament.
Makin, who is now based in Birmingham, faces No 6 seed Max Lee from Hong Kong in the second round.
Lee is ranked 24 in the world.
Tesni Evans, Wales’ world No 10, is also in action tonight as she gets her campaign at the Black Ball Open in Cairo underway.
Great setup here in Cairo, for the @BlackBallSquash open! Great club! Tomorrw first round vs Mariam Metwally 🇪🇬 pic.twitter.com/wpUXrCDHha
— Tesni Murphy (@tesnimurphy) March 10, 2019
Evans will be up against local player Mariam Metwally in the first round.
The duo last met in the US Open last October when Evans triumphed in the second round while on her way to the semi-finals.