G. Coria advances; Martina doesn't



Serena Williams earned applause in her return.
PARIS (AP) -- Third-seeded Guillermo Coria overcame a slow start to beat qualifier Juan Monaco 7-5, 6-1, 6-3 today in the second round at the French Open.
Coria, a semifinalist last year, lost four of the first five games and needed more than an hour to pull out the first set. He rallied from a service break down in the third set.
Coria had 29 winners and just 25 unforced errors against fellow Argentine Monaco, who was playing in his first Grand Slam tournament. Monaco was hurt by 10 double faults but kept Coria the court for nearly 21/2 hours.
A French Open junior champion in 1999, Coria is seeking his first Grand Slam title. He has won 33 of his past 34 clay-court matches, with the only loss to top-ranked Roger Federer in this month's Hamburg final.
Women
On the women's side, Zheng Jie matched the best showing by a Chinese woman in a Grand Slam event by reaching the third round when she beat No. 31 Emilie Loit 6-4, 6-1. Li Fang of China made the third round at the 1992 Australian Open.
Zheng said anticipation of the 2008 Beijing Olympics has given tennis a boost in her country.
"During recent years the Chinese tennis association has paid more attention to tennis," Zheng said. "Because we have the Olympic Games, the city has invested more money and given the national tennis players more opportunities to play many tournaments outside. The training conditions in China are getting better and better."
Also advancing were Russians Nadia Petrova and Vera Zvonareva. Petrova, seeded eighth, beat Yuliana Fedak 6-0, 6-1. No. 10 Zvonareva rallied past Magui Serna 5-7, 6-1, 6-4. No. 28 Lisa Raymond was eliminated by Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-4, 6-0.
Men
In other men's play, No. 5 Carlos Moya beat Spanish compatriot Fernando Vicente 6-1, 6-2, 6-1. Moya, the 1998 champion, improved to 11-0 this year against his countrymen.
Another Spaniard, two-time runner-up Alex Corretja, beat No. 13 Paradorn Srichaphan 6-4, 7-5, 6-3. No. 22 Juan Ignacio Chela defeated Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 6-2, 6-2.
Martina Navratilova's French Open comeback Tuesday lasted barely an hour. Playing her first Grand Slam singles match since 1994, the 47-year-old Navratilova lost in the opening round to 19-year-old Gisela Dulko 6-1, 6-3.
Navratilova shrugged off the defeat as a noble attempt, and many players agreed. Serena Williams watched the end of the match on TV after finishing her first-round victory.
"I just was thinking, 'How do you play at that age?"' Williams said. "She's really an amazing athlete, an amazing woman."
Complaints
But Navratilova's return drew complaints from at least two players that she took a spot in the draw that could have gone to someone trying to establish herself.
"A French TV guy asked me as I was walking off the court, 'What do you say to the young player that didn't get in because you got the wild card?' " Navratilova said. "I said, 'I think I earned it. If she won two French Opens and tried to get a wild card at the age of 47, she'll probably get it, too.' "
In under-47 results Tuesday, Serena and Venus Williams led those reaching the second round.
Second-seeded Serena, jeered the last time she played at Roland Garros, drew applause after beating Iveta Benesova 6-2, 6-2. But No. 4 Venus looked tentative at times in her first match since being sidelined May 9 by an ankle injury, yet defeated Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-2, 6-4.
No. 7 Jennifer Capriati endured scattered boos and overcame a 3-0 deficit in the final set to beat Yulia Beygelzimer 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
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