PARIS - Marat Safin launched his bid to become the first man in 13 years to win the first two grand slam tournaments of the year by beating Dutchman Raemon Sluiter in his opening match at the French Open on Tuesday.
The gifted but erratic Russian, who started the year
by winning the second grand slam title of his career at the Australian Open, typically alternated brilliant winners and clumsy errors on his way to a 6-1 4-6 6-4 6-2 win.
The athletic 25-year-old was nevertheless in control for most of the match and had a relatively smooth passage through to the second round.
He double faulted on his first match point but Sluiter hit a return long on the second to bow out after two hours and 33 minutes. Since the start of the Open era in 1968, only three men have managed to win the Australian Open and the French Open in the same year.
Nobody has done it since American Jim Courier in 1992. The other two to have achieved the feat are Australian Rod Laver, en route to the grand slam in 1969, and Swede Mats Wilander in 1988.
Safin, seeded third this year, is making his seventh appearance at Roland Garros, where he made his grand slam debut in 1998, reaching the fourth round. His best result was when he reached the semi-finals in 2002.
- REUTERS
