FRENCH OPEN Chang receives big ovation after struggling in loss

Fans paid tribute to the 1989 champion after he was defeated in the opening round.
PARIS (AP) -- Michael Chang's French Open finale was forgotten the moment he lost, as thoughts turned to 1989.
When he walked off center court Tuesday following his last match at Roland Garros, French fans rose to applaud an aging player whose greatest moment came at 17 on the same rust-colored stage.
The worldly Chang knows that a standing ovation for an American in Paris is a rare thing, and it left him fighting back tears.
Chang's game has slipped so badly that he was beaten 7-5, 6-1, 6-1 by an opponent with a seven-match losing streak, fellow thirtysomething Fabrice Santoro.
But the postmatch tribute removed much of the sting.
"This tournament has been so special to me," Chang told the crowd, his voice breaking. "The funny thing is that in my 16-year career, I've only cried twice, and both times were on this court."
His only Grand Slam
He first wept in '89, when he mounted a remarkable run to his only Grand Slam title. Cramps reduced him to serving underhand in the round of 16, but he still managed to beat Ivan Lendl. In the final, he upset Stefan Edberg to become the youngest men's Grand Slam champion.
"I played a lot of great chess when I won in '89," he said.
"You tell a story like that to your children. The next evening, the children say, 'Can you tell that to me again, daddy? And let me know, is that a true story, or are you just making it up?' "
Chang's departure was emotional, but less surprising than several other early exits.
Andy Roddick's up-and-down year reached another low when he was upset by Sargis Sargsian, and defending champion Albert Costa needed the biggest comeback of his long career to avoid a huge upset. One game from elimination in straight sets, he rallied to beat Sergio Roitman 6-7 (3), 2-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2.
Winners
No. 2-seeded Kim Clijsters, No. 3 Venus Williams, No. 6 Lindsay Davenport and No. 7 Jennifer Capriati advanced in straight sets. Winners on the men's side included No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, No. 3 Juan Carlos Ferrero and No. 15 Gustavo Kuerten, a three-time champion.
Roddick, seeded sixth, lost 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. He has been beaten in the first or second round six times this year, but also made the semifinals at the Australian Open, reached three finals and won a clay event Saturday in Austria.
"It's between the ears, man," Roddick said. "I know I have the ability to play really good tennis. It has just been peaks and valleys."
Chang, 31, would have scripted his departure to include a few rounds of victories.
But he has won only one match in 2003 and admits he's wearing down, which is why he plans to retire after the U.S. Open.
"The daily grind of going out there, working day in, day out, surely takes its toll after a while," he said.
Was first since Trabert
Chang seemed inexhaustible when he made his French Open debut as a 16-year-old in 1988. He lost in the third round to John McEnroe, but the next year he became the first U.S. man to win at Roland Garros since Tony Trabert in 1955.
"At the time he was very young, he was very slim," said Santoro, who won the Roland Garros juniors that year.
"I've seen pictures again recently. It's really surprising the way he won the final, the way he beat Edberg, his courage, his will to fight in that tournament."
Chang was part of a remarkable generation of Americans that included Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier.
He was the first of them to win a major title but hasn't won another -- at least not yet.
"After having won in '89, I would have felt that there would at least be a few more," Chang said. "I've still got hopefully Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Hey, you know, miracles can happen."