diff --git a/lib/internal/fs/promises.js b/lib/internal/fs/promises.js
index 0fecb206237100..b6b4d6605d3387 100644
--- a/lib/internal/fs/promises.js
+++ b/lib/internal/fs/promises.js
@@ -196,11 +196,12 @@ async function copyFile(src, dest, flags) {
 async function open(path, flags, mode) {
   path = toPathIfFileURL(path);
   validatePath(path);
+  if (arguments.length < 2) flags = 'r';
+  const flagsNumber = stringToFlags(flags);
   mode = validateMode(mode, 'mode', 0o666);
   return new FileHandle(
     await binding.openFileHandle(pathModule.toNamespacedPath(path),
-                                 stringToFlags(flags),
-                                 mode, kUsePromises));
+                                 flagsNumber, mode, kUsePromises));
 }
 
 async function read(handle, buffer, offset, length, position) {
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-fs-open.js b/test/parallel/test-fs-open.js
index ee5a21b3d355ad..788124825249ca 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-fs-open.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-fs-open.js
@@ -58,6 +58,13 @@ fs.open(__filename, 'r', null, common.mustCall((err) => {
   assert.ifError(err);
 }));
 
+async function promise() {
+  await fs.promises.open(__filename);
+  await fs.promises.open(__filename, 'r');
+}
+
+promise().then(common.mustCall()).catch(common.mustNotCall());
+
 common.expectsError(
   () => fs.open(__filename, 'r', 'boom', common.mustNotCall()),
   {
@@ -91,4 +98,15 @@ for (const extra of [[], ['r'], ['r', 0], ['r', 0, 'bad callback']]) {
       type: TypeError
     }
   );
+  fs.promises.open(i, 'r')
+    .then(common.mustNotCall())
+    .catch(common.mustCall((err) => {
+      common.expectsError(
+        () => { throw err; },
+        {
+          code: 'ERR_INVALID_ARG_TYPE',
+          type: TypeError
+        }
+      );
+    }));
 });