FRENCH OPEN NOTEBOOK | From Roland Garros

Fragile Rios: Former world No. 1 Marcelo Rios, who has a long history of quitting during matches, lasted just eight games at the French Open. Rios blamed a sore right arm for retiring Monday when he trailed Mario Ancic 6-1, 1-0. The loss prevented a potentially intriguing second-round matchup between Rios and 1999 champion Andre Agassi. "If you had to point to anybody who has underachieved, it would have to be Marcelo," Agassi said. In March, Rios won two matches at Key Biscayne and then withdrew because of a back injury, prompting speculation he might retire. Last year, he was sidelined for nearly three months with knee tendinitis, and he retired during a match four times. The French Open was among the tournaments he missed.
Blue Blake: In a matchup that was all red, white and especially blue, James Blake earned a first-round victory. A nattily dressed Blake wore a shirt, shorts, bandanna and shoes that were matching powder blue as he beat fellow American Taylor Dent 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (3). "I call it Carolina blue, because I'm a big North Carolina fan," said Blake, a New York native and former Harvard student. Blake was one of nine Americans in Paris advancing to the second round on the opening day of the tournament. Joining him on the men's side were Agassi and Vince Spadea, who edged Irakli Labadze 6-1, 3-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-1. Dent was among four American men eliminated. The others were Cecil Mamiit, Justin Gimelstob and Alex Kim, a qualifier who blew a big lead against Mark Philippoussis and lost 2-6, 6-7 (1), 7-5, 6-2, 6-2. U.S. women went 6-4, with defending champion Serena Williams leading the way into the second round. Ashley Harkelroad, who has already cracked the top 60 at age 18, made a successful debut at Roland Garros by beating Saori Obata 6-4, 6-2.
Life story: At 20, Justine Henin-Hardenne is already the subject of a biography. Available only in French in her homeland of Belgium, the book features a foreword by John McEnroe. He once touted Henin-Hardenne's backhand as the best on either tour -- men's or women's. "McEnroe always liked the way I played," said Henin-Hardenne, who's considered a threat to end Serena Williams' Grand Slam winning streak at the French Open. Seeded fourth, Henin-Hardenne won her opening match Monday against Patricia Wartusch 6-3, 7-5. The biography was written by Belgian Patrick Haumont, and the title roughly translates as "Justine Henin-Hardenne: True Happiness Found on Court." "The idea is to tell the story of my life," said Henin-Hardenne, whose mother died from cancer when she was 12. "It's a bit early [but] I thought that maybe the time had come to make sort of a balance sheet and look back into my life."
Unlucky 13: Mary Pierce left Roland Garros with a statistic she'd rather forget. The 2000 champion exited the first round Monday, her worst effort in 13 appearances at the French Open since 1990. "I don't really think I hit that many good shots," Pierce said after losing to 2002 semifinalist Clarisa Fernandez 6-2, 6-3. "Might have been a couple, but I don't remember them."