Serbian tennis giants struggle as Kuerten bids farewell

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Kuerten retired from tennis after losing to France's Paul-Henri Mathieu in an emotional first round tie at the French Open. (AFP)

Serbian duo Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic struggled through the French Open first round on Sunday as former triple champion Gustavo Kuerten brought his career to an emotional end.

Third seed Djokovic, the Australian Open champion and Rome Masters winner, needed four sets to see off Germany's world number 64 Denis Gremelmayr 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-2.

Women's second seed Ivanovic, who crumbled to defeat in the 2007 final against Justine Henin, took a first nervous step towards erasing that heartbreaking memory by seeing off Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson 6-2, 7-5.

But they were warm-up acts for Kuerten's final show.

The Brazilian, a former world number one and the champion here in 1997, 2000 and 2001, was beaten 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 by French 18th seed Paul-Henri Mathieu to bring his career, so recently blighted by a chronic hip injury, to a sad end.

"It has been my life, my passion, my love at Roland Garros," said the 31-year-old Kuerten who had made 2008 his farewell tour.

"Winning here three times was great but the love you showed me in return was even more important for me."

Kuerten was joined at the exit by Spain's 1998 champion Carlos Moya whose 13th Roland Garros was ended by Argentinian qualifier Eduardo Schwank who won 7-6 (7/4), 6-2, 6-7 (1/7), 4-6, 6-3 in a marathon four-hour clash.Djokovic struggled against Gremelmayr, losing the first set after slipping to a 4-0 deficit and then allowing a 5-1 lead in the third set to melt away as the German pulled back to 5-5.

"He surprised me a little bit. He was aggressive, took his chances and went for his shots. He deserved to win the first set," said Djokovic, a semi-finalist in 2007.

Djokovic will now face Spanish qualifier Miguel Angel Lopez Jaen for a place in the third round.

"The pressure is always there," said Djokovic who is seeded to meet triple champion Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals.

"But as the third player in the world, a Grand Slam champion and the first player in the race this year, there are a lot of expectations."

World number two Ivanovic became Serbia's first Grand Slam finalist here in 2007 beating Svetlana Kuznetsova and Maria Sharapova before she fell to pieces in the final against Henin, going down 6-1, 6-2.

Since then she has also finished runner-up to Sharapova at the Australian Open.

But it wasn't 20-year-old Ivanovic's most convincing display on Sunday.

After easing through the first set, she then had to save break points in the fifth, seventh and ninth games of the second before seeing off the 24-year-old Swede whom she had also defeated at the same stage here last year.

"If I reach the final again I'll perform a lot better than I did last year. That was a great experience and I don't regret it," said Ivanovic.

"This year I'm in a different position to last year. Then I had only just broken into the world top 10 and there was less pressure. Now I am number two in the world so I have more expectations."

"Ivanovic will now face the Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova."

However, another Czech was already packing her bags after 15th seed Nicole Vaidisova, a semi-finalist in 2006, slumped to a 7-6 (7/2), 6-1 defeat to compatriot, and best friend, Iveta Benesova.

American fifth seed Serena Williams, the 2002 champion, beat compatriot Ashley Harkleroad 6-2, 6-1 to set up a second round meeting with French wildcard Mathilde Johansson.

Argentinian sixth seed David Nalbandian, and seen as another dangerman for Nadal, saw off compatriot Carlos Berlocq 6-2, 6-4, 6-1.

Nalbandian, a semi-finalist in 2004 and 2006, holds a 2-0 career record over Nadal and could meet the Spaniard in the quarter-finals.

He next faces French wildcard Jeremy Chardy.

American seventh seed James Blake, who has never got beyond the third round, saw off German veteran Rainer Schuettler 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (7/3) and will next tackle Ernests Gulbis of Latvia.

British 10th seed Andy Murray was also a first day winner beating French 17-year-old Jonathan Eysseric 6-2, 1-6, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 and will meet Argentina's Jose Acasuso for a third round spot.

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