Former champions Gaston Gaudio and Juan Carlos Ferrero, two of a host of men praying that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal lose their way at Roland Garros, reached the second round here on Monday.
Argentinian 10th seed Gaudio, the 2004 champion, breezed past Croatian qualifier Roko Karanusic 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 to set up a second round date with Evgeny Korolev of Russia. Ferrero, the 2003 winner, saw off Argentinian qualifier Juan Martin del Potro, at 17 the youngest man in the draw, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.
The Spanish 24th seed now meets either Oliver Marach of Austria or Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany. Gaudio was the shock winner here two years ago when he came back from two sets down and saved two match points in the final to see off compatriot Guillermo Coria.
But the 27-year-old has endured a poor run-in to the French Open losing in the first round at the Rome Masters, the second in Hamburg and then losing two more matches at the World Team Cup in Dusseldorf last week. "I thought it would be a miracle to win here," said Gaudio. World number one and top seed Federer discovered who his second round opponent will be when Colombia's Alejandro Falla beat America's Justin Gimelstob 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
Defending champion Nadal opens his campaign later on Monday against Sweden's Robin Soderling where a win would set a new all-time record of 54 successive wins on clay taking him past Guillermo Vilas's 1977 record of 53.
"I need one more match and I'm going to do my best but not to beat the record - to win Roland Garros," said the Spanish teenager.
The women's tournament lost its first seeded player when Russia's Elena Likhovtseva, the 18th seed and a semi-finalist last year, slumped to a 6-1, 6-1 defeat against Karolina Sprem of Croatia. There were no such problems for two other top players.
Patty Schnyder, the Swiss seventh seed, saw off Dutchwoman Michaella Krajicek 6-1, 6-2 while Italy's Francesca Schiavone, the ninth seed, defeated Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-3, 6-4.
Second seed Kim Clijsters of Belgium, twice a runner-up, begins her campaign later Monday against France's Virginie Razzano while 11th seed Venus Williams takes on Austria's Sybille Bammer.
RESULTS FROM THE SECOND DAY (x denotes seeding):
WOMEN's FIRST ROUND: Patty Schnyder (SUI x7) bt Michaella Krajicek (NED) 6-1, 6-2; Francesca Schiavone (ITA x9) bt Alona Bondarenko (UKR) 6-3, 6-4; Karolina Sprem (CRO) bt Elena Likhovtseva (RUS x18) 6-1, 6-1; Vera Dushevina (RUS) bt Anastassia Rodionova (RUS) 6-3, 6-2; Jelena Jankovic (SEM) bt Laura Pous Tio (ESP) 7-5, 6-4; Jarmila Gajdosova (SVK) bt Stephanie Cohen-Aloro (FRA) 6-2, 5-7, 6-3; Catalina Castano (COL) bt Aiko Nakamura (JPN) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1; Hana Sromova (CZE) bt Roberta Vinci (ITA) 6-1, 7-5.
MEN'S FIRST ROUND: Gaston Gaudio (ARG x10) bt Roko Karanusic (CRO) 6-2, 6-2, 6-2; Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP x24) bt Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 ; Yevgeny Korolev (RUS) bt Andreas Seppi (ITA) 6-4, 2-6, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1; Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) bt Sasa Tuksar (CRO) 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 6-0; Alejandro Falla (COL) bt Justin Gimelstob (USA) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2; Ilia Bozoljac (SEM) bt Boris Pashanski (SEM) 6-4, 6-3, 6-4; Max Mirnyi (BLR) bt Gilles Muller (LUX) 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (7/3); Dmitry Tursunov (RUS x31) bt Jiri Novak (CZE) 6-2, 6-3, 6-2.
SUNDAY'S COLLATED RESULTS (x denotes seeding):
MEN'S FIRST ROUND: Roger Federer (SUI x1) bt Diego Hartfield (ARG) 7-5, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2; Tommy Robredo (ESP x7) bt Tomas Zib (CZE) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2; Tim Henman (GBR) bt Kenneth Carlsen (DEN) 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4; David Nalbandian (ARG x3) bt Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4; Carlos Moya (ESP x30) bt Juan Antonio Marin (CRC) 7-5, 6-3, 6-3; Jose Acasuso (ARG x26) leads Fabrice Santoro (FRA) 6-3, 6-1, 3-6, 1-6, 4-2 play suspended for night to be completed Monday.
WOMEN'S FIRST ROUND: Amelie Mauresmo (FRA x1) bt Meghann Shaughnessy (USA) 6-4, 6-4; Marion Bartoli (FRA x25) bt Aurelie Vedy (FRA) 6-1, 6-0; Ai Sugiyama (JPN x22) bt Eleni Daniilidou (GRE) 6-7 (1/7), 6-0, 6-3; Dinara Safina (RUS x14) bt Vera Zvonareva (RUS) 6-3, 7-5; Iveta Benesova (CZE) bt Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 7-5, 6-3; Maria Sharapova (RUS x4) bt Mashona Washington (USA) 6-2, 5-7, 7-5.
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