PARIS, May 25: Serbian duo Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic endured struggling starts to the French Open 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 No 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 and allow the German to pull 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 here in 2007, and the best player on the tour this year.

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 and a Grand Slam champion and the first player in the race this year, of course there are a lot of expectations.”

World No 2 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 No 2 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.

Vaidisova’s defeat was her sixth in a row this year leaving her without a win since the first round in Dubai three months ago.

Meanwhile, Argentina’s 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 either Argentina’s Jose Acasuso or Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia for a third round spot.

Later on Sunday, Women’s 2002 champion Serena Williams was also due on court to face fellow American Ashley Harkleroad.

Sunday’s results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles:

First round: Eduardo Schwank (Argentina) bt 16-Carlos Moya (Spain) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, 6-7 (1-7), 4-6, 6-3; 10-Andy Murray (Britain) bt Jonathan Eysseric (France) 6-2, 1-6, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2; Ernests Gulbis (Latvia) bt Simon Greul (Germany) 6-4, 6-0, 6-4; Maximo Gonzalez (Argentina) bt Roko

Karanusic (Croatia) 6-3, 7-5, 4-6, 3-6, 6-2; 18-Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) bt Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2; 19-Nicolas Almagro (Spain) bt Boris Pasanski (Serbia) 6-4, 7-5, 6-1; Sebastian Decoud (Argentina) bt Olivier Rochus (Belgium) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (8-10), 6-1; 3-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) bt Denis Gremelmayr (Germany) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-2; 7-James Blake (US) bt Rainer Schuettler (Germany) 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3); Miguel Angel Lopez Jaen (Spain) bt Frank Dancevic (Canada) 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-2); Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) bt Josselin Ouanna (France) 6-3, 6-2, 6-3; 6-David Nalbandian (Argentina) bt Carlos Berlocq (Argentina) 6-2, 6-4, 6-1; Jeremy Chardy (France) bt Frederico Gil (Portugal) 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7-1).

Women’s singles:

First round: Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) bt Catalina Castano (Colombia) 7-5, 6-1; Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) bt 24-Virginie Razzano (France) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; Selima Sfar (Tunisia) bt Stephanie Dubois (Canada) 7-5, 6-2; Anastasiya Yakimova (Belarus) bt Hsieh Su-Wei (Taiwan) 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 6-4; 30-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) bt Yvonne Meusburger (Austria) 6-0, 6-2; 2-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) bt Sofia Arvidsson (Sweden) 6-2, 7-5; Iveta Benesova (Czech Republic) bt 15-Nicole Vaidisova (Czech Republic) 7-6 (7-2), 6-1; Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) bt Sandra Kloesel (Germany) 6-1, 6-1.—Agencies