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| | Monday, May 29 Kuerten finds favorite tag helps | |||||
| Associated Press PARIS -- Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten doesn't feel at all overawed by his status as one of the favorites at the French Open. In his opening match Monday, the player known to his fans as Guga dispatched Swede Andreas Vinciguerra 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 in a mere 1 hour, 13 minutes. Fresh off his victory last week at the Masters Tennis Series-Hamburg, the No. 5 seed hopes to do well in this Grand Slam event, which he surprisingly won in 1997. "I think I started really strong, just playing with a good rhythm," Kuerten said of his victory over Vinciguerra. The 23-year-old, who was beaten in last year's quarterfinals by Andrei Medvedev of the Ukraine, said being a favorite could help -- by intimidating his opponents. "I think it's better because today I started playing well and the guy got a little afraid," he said. In the next round, Kuerten faces Argentina's Marcelo Charpentier. First out France's Julie Halard-Decugis had the dubious honor of becoming the first seeded player to drop out of the Roland Garros tournament on its opening day. The 29-year-old No. 12 seed was defeated by American Meghann Shaughnessy 7-5, 6-4. This is only the second time that Halard-Decugis has been ousted in the first round at the French Open. Last year, she turned in France's best female performance, making it to the final 16. The first seeded male player to be ousted was No. 8 Nicolas Kiefer of Germany, who lost to American Jan-Michael Gambill 6-3, 7-5, 6-1. Kiefer has been hobbled by injuries for months. He returned to the circuit only last week at St. Polten, Austria, but was forced to withdraw in his first-round match there due to an ankle injury. Spiffy space A new millennium and a new look at Paris' Roland Garros stadium. The center court has been refurbished to make it more comfortable for spectators, while the players' facilities have also been given a facelift. The work took 10 months and cost 180 million francs ($25.5 million). Two of the stands are slightly higher and spectators have been given a little more legroom. But that means a cut of around 1,200 seats in capacity to 15,166. Some players have welcomed the changes. "The center court is more intimate. I like that. You feel closer to the public," said French player Mary Pierce. But you can't please everyone. "Everything is new for everyone," said veteran Martina Navratilova, who is back in Paris to take part in the doubles competition with Mariaan de Swardt. "I met (French player) Sandrine Testud in the changing rooms and she said: 'It's too big.' Before we did not have enough space, now we have too much. But it's all fine. I'm joking," Navratilova said. The center court was hurriedly built in 1928 to stage the Davis Cup competition won by the French the previous year. Pierce in Paris She might be technically French, but Mary Pierce finds playing in Paris a little worrying. The Canadian-born 25-year-old, who also has American citizenship, said she was a little anxious before going onto the center court for her first-round match against American Tara Snyder. Pierce has fallen out of favor with the Roland Garros crowd before, but on Monday there were no boos or hisses. "I was waiting to see how the public would react when seeing me. I didn't know what to think beforehand," she said. When asked why she has been booed in the past, Pierce seemed at a loss: "Exactly, why? I did not know why ... I'm not going to worry about it. In the past, they encouraged me and then turned the other way." The No. 6 seed said she was especially worried because she has not played on the French Fed Cup team for the past two years. "I am still French and I am still American and I was born in Canada. That's my life and it will always be like that," she said. Pierce easily beat Snyder 6-3, 6-1 and will now play Barbara Rittner of Germany. Outside forces There was an uninvited and unwelcome guest at the first day of the French Open Monday -- strong winds. Many players complained of the blustery conditions that made the notoriously difficult tournament even tougher. Britain's Tim Henman, on his fifth appearance at the Roland Garros, described conditions as "horrible." "It's really, really blustery. I would say that I don't actually mind playing in the wind if it's coming from one direction ... but it's going all over the place." Despite the wind, Henman managed a 7-5, 7-5, 6-4 win over Vincent Spadea of the United States. He will now play Christian Vinck of Germany. | ALSO SEE Another re-Pete: Sampras ousted from French Open Happier Hingis earns Paris victory; Capriati upset  | |||||