Navratilova comeback lasts just over an hour

PARIS -- Martina Navratilova hit an ace Tuesday, a nifty achievement for a 47-year-old player at the French Open. She needed more than one.

Martina Navratilova's French Open comeback lasted barely an hour, ending with an opening-round loss to Gisela Dulko, 6-1, 6-3. The match was Navratilova's first in Grand Slam singles since 1994.

"I had some moments of brilliance," Navratilova said. "But they were few and far between, unfortunately."

The left-hander employed the same serve-and-volley tactics that helped her win 18 major singles titles, but she was often a step slow reaching shots. Often left lunging, Navratilova won just 10 of 22 points at the net, struggled with her serve and was broken five times.

In the twentysomething division, Serena and Venus Williams advanced easily.

No. 2-seeded Serena, jeered the last time she played at Roland Garros, drew applause after beating Iveta Benesova 6-2, 6-2. No. 4 Venus looked tentative at times in her first match since being sidelined May 9 by an ankle injury, but she still defeated Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-2, 6-4.

No. 7 Jennifer Capriati rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the final set to beat Yulia Beygelzimer 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

On the men's side, top-ranked Roger Federer ended his two-year French Open losing streak by beating Kristof Vliegen 6-1, 6-2, 6-1.

Federer lost in the opening round at Roland Garros to Hicham Arazi in 2002 and to Luis Horna in 2003. But he dominated from the start against Vliegen, who lost in qualifying and made the draw only when another player withdrew.