They produced 3-0 victories over both Spain and Germany at the historic Jeu de Paume club - the oldest squash club in the country.

Laura Pomportes, Camille Serme and Coline Aumard were the winners on each occasion.

"We deliberately used the same players for both ties as we knew we'd be playing on the same courts, so it made sense," explained national coach Philippe Signoret afterwards. 

"But it was not easy and the girls played well to give us the best possible result on the opening day."

"Our girls have had some good results on the Tour over the past few months so, although we are seeded outside the top four, we are aiming for medals."

Hong Kong, the fourth seeds and France's main rivals in Pool D, also won twice on the opening day, but were given a shock when 18-year-old Spaniard Cristina Gomez, ranked outside the world top 200, beat world number 29 Liu Tsz-Ling in four games. 

Top seeds Egypt began well in Pool A with a 3-0 win over India.

World number one Nour El Sherbini needed 34 minutes to see off Joshna Chinappa 11-5, 11-6, 15-13, before Nouran Gohar recovered from a game down to beat Dipika Pallikal Karthik 4-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-9 in 39 minutes.

Defending champions England also began well with a 3-0 win over Canada in Pool B. 

World number two Laura Massaro and 10th ranked Alison Waters won in straight games over Samantha Cornett and Danielle Letourneau respectively.

New Zealand beat Mexico 3-0 in Pool A while United States were similarly successful over Wales in Pool B.

Malaysia and Australia were 3-0 winners over respective opponents The Netherlands and Austria in Pool C.