Norrie claimed his fifth ATP singles title at the Rio Open in February but has struggled for form in recent monthsBritish number one Cameron Norrie got off to a winning start at the Italian Open with a straight-set victory over France's Alexandre Muller.
World number 13 Norrie won 6-2 6-3 at the Foro Italico in Rome.
Norrie, 27, will play Australia's Alex de Minaur or Hungary's Marton Fucsovics in the third round on Sunday.
Qualifier Muller had defeated Britain's Kyle Edmund in the first round on Wednesday in his first main-draw match in a Masters 1,000 tournament.
Elsewhere on Friday, home favourite and eighth seed Jannik Sinner defeated Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-1 6-4.
The 21-year-old Italian, who will face either Alexander Shevchenko or Sebastian Baez in the last 32, did not drop a point on his serve in the first set.
There has not been an Italian winner of the tournament since Adriano Panatta in 1976.
Prize pot increased for French Open
The prize pot for this year's French Open has increased by 12.3% from 2022 to 49.6 million euros (£43.1m), organisers of the Grand Slam announced on Friday.
The men's and women's singles champions will receive 2.3 million euros (£2m) each, while there has been 4% rise in prize money for the men's and women's doubles.
Meanwhile. the prize money for the the wheelchair and quad competitions is 810,000 euros (£705,000), up 40% from 2022.
The French Open starts on 28 May at Roland Garros.
