Santoro wins longest match

Results: Men's singles | Women's singles

Softly-spoken Roger Federer packed a mighty punch on Tuesday, battering Belgian Kristof Vliegen 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 in the first round of the French Open.

The top seed spent just 75 minutes dismantling Vliegen's meagre defences to overcome a psychological stumbling block at Roland Garros. Federer, the Wimbledon and Australian Open champion, had lost in the first round here in 2002 and 2003.

"It's a little bit of relief obviously after the last two years there's been so much talk of me losing three times in a row in the first round," he smiled.

"For me it was just important to stay focused which, over best-of-five sets, you have to be. It's sometimes difficult, especially when you're winning so easily."

Federer could have beaten Vliegen five times over in the time it took Fabrice Santoro to book his second round spot.

Santoro beat fellow Frenchman Arnaud Clement in the longest singles match in modern tennis history. The 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 16-14 battle took six hours 33 minutes.

"It's an exceptional moment. More than victory, the intensity of the match and the strong emotions out there are what you're looking for when you become a professional tennis player," Santoro said.

Clement was less thrilled.

"What do I get? A medal? I'm not interested," he said. "Anyway it lasted over two days so it doesn't count.

MAKE HISTORY

"I don't have the impression you make history when you lose a game in six hours and 30 minutes. You make history when you win a Grand Slam or the Davis Cup," he added.

The longest match since tennis turned professional in 1968 had been a Davis Cup tie between American John McEnroe and Sweden's Mats Wilander in 1982 which lasted six hours 22 minutes.

In the women's draw, Daniela Hantuchova's tumble down the rankings gathered pace when she lost in the first round.

The slight Slovak won just four games against Japan's Shinobu Asagoe in a 66-minute 6-1, 6-3 defeat.

The defeat means Hantuchova is likely to drop out of the world's top 50 when the new rankings are produced in 13 days' time. She had been ranked as high as five in the world less than 18 months ago.

Mary Pierce cantered into the second round, ousting Luxembourg's Claudine Schaul 6-2, 6-3.

The last Frenchwoman to win her home Grand Slam in 2000, Pierce is not considered a threat this year but did more than enough to cheer the early fans on centre court.

"It's just something really special about Roland Garros and playing here," Pierce said.

"It's just funny how it happens for me. When I start playing this tournament, it's amazing. It just brings the best out of me."

Serena Williams made a victorious return to the Roland Garros centre court, trouncing Iveta Benesova 6-2, 6-2 in her first round match.

The American second seed had fled the same arena in tears last year when a jeering French crowd and an inspired Justine Henin-Hardenne had proved too much for her to handle.

But on a glorious Parisian afternoon, the former world number one -- radiant in a pink outfit and with a red flower in her hair -- swept past the Czech with imperious ease.

She blew kisses to the French crowd and waved at the stands at the end of a typically one-sided encounter, suggesting she harboured no hard feelings.

Men's singles first round results:(prefix number denotes seeding)
1-Roger Federer (Switzerland) beat Kristof Vliegen (Belgium) 6-1 6-2 6-1
Julien Benneteau (France) beat 29-Max Mirnyi (Belarus) 7-5, 7-5, 1-6, 6-3
24-Jonas Bjorkman (Sweden) beat Taylor Dent (U.S.) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
Stefan Koubek (Austria) beat David Sanchez (Spain) 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-7 (0-7), 6-0
Xavier Malisse (Belgium) beat 7-Rainer Schuettler (Germany) 6-4, 7-5, 6-4,
10-Sebastien Grosjean (France) beat Kevin Kim (U.S.) 6-1, 6-1, 6-4
Fabrice Santoro (France) beat 32-Arnaud Clement (France) 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 3-6, 16-14
David Ferrer (Spain) beat Olivier Rochus (Belgium) 6-1, 6-1, 6-3
Victor Hanescu (Romania) beat Jean-Rene Lisnard (France) 7-5, 6-2, 6-4
Thomas Enqvist (Sweden) beat Kenneth Carlsen (Denmark) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
19-Martin Verkerk (Netherlands) beat Julien Boutter (France) 7-5, 6-3, 6-1
Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) beat Thierry Ascione (France) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
Potito Starace (Italy) beat Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
Daniel Elsner (Germany) beat Alexander Peya (Austria) 6-1, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2

Women's singles first round results:(prefix number denotes seeding)
2-Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Iveta Benesova (Czech Republic) 6-2, 6-2
4-Venus Williams (U.S.) beat Tamarine Tanasugarn (Thailand) 6-2, 6-4
Shenay Perry (U.S.) beat Tzipora Obziler (Israel) 6-4, 6-3
Stephanie Foretz (France) beat 26-Nathalie Dechy (France) 1-6, 7-5, 6-1
25-Elena Bovina (Russia) beat Roberta Vinci (Italy) 7-5, 6-1
16-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) beat Aniko Kapros (Hungary) 6-4, 6-1
Silvija Talaja (Croatia) beat Emmanuelle Gagliardi (Switzerland) 6-3, 6-4
11-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) beat Lubomira Bacheva (Bulgaria) 6-0, 7-6 (7-2)
Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Germany) beat Samantha Stosur (Australia) 6-2, 6-0
17-Francesca Schiavone (Italy) beat Stephanie Cohen-Aloro (France) 6-1, 6-2
Maria Kirilenko (Russia) beat Marie-Gayanay Mikaelian (Switzerland) 7-5, 7-6 (7-5)
Virginie Razzano (France) beat Kristina Brandi (Puerto Rico) 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
Klara Koukalova (Czech Republic) beat Tatiana Golovin (France) 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-2)
12-Ai Sugiyama (Japan) beat Marion Bartoli (France) 6-4, 6-3
Jelena Kostanic (Croatia) beat Camille Pin (France) 6-4, 6-3
30-Mary Pierce (France) beat Claudine Schaul (Luxembourg) 6-2, 6-3
Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spain) beat Melinda Czink (Hungary) 6-4, 6-2
Gala Leon Garcia (Spain) beat Laura Granville (U.S.) 6-4, 6-1
Shinobu Asagoe (Japan) beat Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) 6-1, 6-3
Barbara Rittner (Germany) beat Barbara Schett (Austria) 6-3, 6-3