Nadal breezes into Round 2

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Four-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal began his campaign to win back his Roland Garros title with a convincing 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 win over France’s Gianni Mina, the world 655, on Tuesday.

Nadal, whose unbeaten record in Paris came to an agonising end in the fourth round in 2009, courtesy of knee trouble combined with Robin Soderling’s performance of a lifetime, next faces Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos.
“My goal is always to play my best tennis. I would love to come back here every year as defending champion but that’s impossible,” said the Spanish world number two, bidding to become only the second man after Bjorn Borg to win five French Opens.
Meanwhile, four-time winner Justine Henin made a winning return, as two-time losing finalist Dinara Safina was stunned in the first round by 39-year-old Japanese veteran Kimiko Date Krumm.
Henin beat Bulgaria’s Tsvetana Pironkova 6-4, 6-3 to reach the second round but Safina crashed out, losing 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 to Date Krumm, who became the second oldest winner of a Roland Garros match since Virginia Wade in 1985.
Men’s sixth seed Andy Roddick came through a five-setter to beat Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.
Henin, the number 22 seed, is appearing at her first French Open since she last won the event in 2007, having retired from tennis in 2008 and then returned to the sport at the beginning of this year. The 27-year-old Belgian will now face Czech Klara Zakopalova.
Date Krumm, who reached the semi-finals here back in 1995, will meet Australian wildcard Jarmila Groth in round two after seeing off a sour-tempered Safina, whose season has been hampered by a lower back injury.
“Three weeks ago I injured my calf and to play against Safina on (Court) Suzanne Lenglen, I was already happy just to be here,” said Date Krumm, who needed treatment on her calf at 4-2 down in the third set.
Russian 29th seed Anastasiya Pavlyuchenkova booked her place in the next round with a 6-4, 6-2 defeat of home favourite Alize Cornet, while Slovakian 23rd seed Daniela Hantuchova thrashed Thai veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-1, 6-1.
Israeli 18th seed Shahar Peer and Russian 21st seed Vera Zvonareva will also compete for a place in round three after both won in straight sets. Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, the seventh seed, breezed past Russia’s Igor Kunitsyn 6-4, 6-2, 6-2, but Argentine 26th seed Juan Monaco fell 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 to Slovenian qualifier Grega Zemlja, the world 141.
— AFP