PARIS — If Petra Kvitova had been just a worthy adversary who lost a competitive match on Sunday, she still would have walked off center court at Roland Garros a winner for her bravery and determination.

In December, while fending off a knife-wielding home invader at her apartment in Prostejov, Czech Republic, Kvitova grabbed the blade as it was poised at her neck, and during the ensuing struggle, she sustained severe injuries to her left hand, the one she uses to serve and to hit penetrating groundstrokes.

She needed nearly four hours of intricate surgery to repair the hand and save her career. On Sunday, Kvitova returned to the game more than a month earlier than expected, and in just 1 hour 14 minutes, she showed the tennis world that she would not be cowed, delivering a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory over 85th-ranked Julia Boserup of the United States in the first round of the French Open.

“This match was special to me,” said Kvitova, the No. 15 seed, who had declared that just entering the French Open was a victory.