PARIS, May 29: Andre Agassi and Marat Safin showed little mercy for their hosts here Wednesday advancing to the second round of Roland Garros at the expense of French players.

Fourth-seeded Agassi wasted no time dismissing French qualifier Eric Prodon 6-3, 6-3, 6-1, while Russia’s number two seed Marat Safin came away the 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (9/7), 6-4 winner over Michael Llodra.

Top seed Lleyton Hewiit of Australia beat Russia’s Andrei Stoliarov 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-0, 7-5 to move into the third round. He now faces either the number 30 seed Sjeng Schalken of the Netherlands or Sebastien de Chaunac of France in the next round.

But Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson skidded out in familiar fashion losing to France’s Arnaud Clement 7-6 6-1 6-3 in the second round.

The ninth-seeded Swede, who has never made it past round two in seven French Open appearances, lost in two hours and 26 minutes in a one-sided contest.

Johansson, who posted a convincing win over Argentine Franco Squillari in the first round, finally bowed to the Frenchman when he fired a return wide.

The fourth-seeded Agassi, who took two weeks off after winning in Rome, will meet with Spaniard David Sanchez in the next round, as he bids for an eighth Grand Slam title and second in Paris.

Former US Open champion Safin faces Olivier Rochus of Belgium who beat Hungary’s Attila Savolt 6-4, 7-6 (7/0), 6-2.

In the women’s event, America’s Monica Seles, the number six seed and three-time champion, defeated Barbara Rittner of Germany 6-4, 6-1 to reach the third round.

Amelie Mauresmo put last year’s Roland Garros nightmare well and truly behind her, blasting aside Nicole Pratt 6-2 6-1 to join Seles in the third round.

Top seed Jennifer Capriati and third seed Serena Williams advanced to the second round as Russian pin-up Anna Kournikova crashed at the first hurdle.

World number one Capriati looked comfortable as she launched her title defence wrapping up her first round tie 6-3, 6-4 against fellow American Marissa Irvin in a match suspended at 4-2 overnight because of bad weather.

Capriati now meets another American Amy Frazier in the next round.

A colourful Williams also eased into the second round with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Slovak Martina Sucha 6-3, 6-0 in 60mins.

Kournikova’s miserable run continued as she was ground into the dust by wildcard Christina Wheeler, with the 193-ranked Australian coming away 6-4, 6-3 winner in 76 minutes.

Three-time champion Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario was also packing her bags as the veteran Spaniard suffered her worst finish in 16 years competing on the red clay at Roland Garros.

The number 15 seed crashed out 6-0, 6-1 to fellow Spaniard Marta Marrero, who is 11 years her junior.

Seventh seed Jelena Dokic of Yugoslavia defeated Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland 6-4, 6-2.

RESULTS:

Men (second round):

Arnaud Clement (France) beat 9-Thomas Johansson (Sweden) 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 6-3; 20-Albert Costa (Spain) beat Nikolay Davydenko (Russia) 7-5 7-6 (7-4) 6-2; 15-Guillermo Canas (Argentina) beat Alex Calatrava (Spain) 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-0; 1-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) beat Andrei Stoliarov (Russia) 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-0 7-5; Fernando Gonzalez (Chile) beat Fernando Meligeni (Brazil) 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-2; Andrea Gaudenzi (Italy) beat Jack Brasington (U.S.) 6-3 7-6 (7-0) 6-1; Albert Montanes (Spain) beat 16-Younes El Aynaoui (Morocco) 7-5 7-6 (7-2) 6-4; 22-Andrei Pavel (Romania) beat Michel Kratochvil (Switzerland) 6-3 6-1 6-3

First round: Irakli Labadze (Georgia) beat Julien Boutter (France) 7-6 (7-4) 5-7 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 9-7; Paradorn Srichaphan (Thailand) beat Raemon Sluiter (Netherlands) 5-7 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-4; Wayne Arthurs (Australia) beat 13-Andy Roddick (U.S.) 4-6 7-6 (16-14) 4-6 7-5 6-3; 4-Andre Agassi (U.S.) beat Eric Prodon (France) 6-3 6-3 6-1; 19-Thomas Enqvist (Sweden) beat Edgardo Massa (Argentina) 4-6 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4; Oleg Ogorodov (Uzbekistan) beat Markus Hipfl (Austria) 6-7 (8-10) 6-1 2-6 7-5 9-7; 10-Sebastien Grosjean (France) beat Francisco Clavet (Spain) 7-6 (7-0) 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 6-3; Arnaud Di Pasquale (France) beat Michael Russell (U.S.) 6-4 6-0 4-6 6-1; 2-Marat Safin (Russia) beat Michael Llodra (France) 6-4 2-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-4; Vincent Spadea (U.S.) beat Cedric Pioline (France) 4-6 6-4 6-4 3-6 6-4; Olivier Rochus (Belgium) beat Attila Savolt (Hungary) 6-4 7-6 (7-0) 6-2; David Sanchez (Spain) beat Jose Acasuso (Argentina) 6-4 7-5 6-4; 31-Gaston Gaudio (Argentina) beat Juan Balcells (Spain) 6-4 6-2 7-5; 24-Rainer Schuettler (Germany) beat Stefano Galvani (Italy) 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-1; Flavio Saretta (Brazil) beat Oliver Marach (Austria) 6-2 6-2 4-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-4; Cecil Mamiit (U.S.) beat 26-Max Mirnyi (Belarus) 6-3 6-4 5-7 6-4; James Blake (U.S.) beat Lars Burgsmuller (Germany) 6-2 2-1 retired injured; 29-David Nalbandian (Argentina) beat Agustin Calleri (Argentina) 6-2 5-7 6-2 6-4; Paul-Henri Mathieu (France) beat Wayne Ferreira (South Africa) 6-4 6-7 (1-7) 5-7 6-2 6-0

Tuesday evening’s results:

Men:

Nicolas Coutelot (France) beat Stefan Koubek (Austria) 6-4 6-4 6-4; Feliciano Lopez (Spain) beat Didac Perez (Spain) 4-6 6-4 6-2 4-6 6-4; 23-Fabrice Santoro (France) beat Magnus Norman (Sweden) 6-2 5-7 3-6 6-4 6-4; Albert Portas (Spain) beat Andrew Ilie (Australia) 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 6-4.

Women (second round):

13-Elena Dementieva (Russia) beat Asa Svensson (Sweden) 7-5 6-3 Paola Suarez (Argentina) beat Maria Goloviznina (Russia) 6-4 6-4; 6-Monica Seles (U.S.) beat Barbara Rittner (Germany) 6-4 6-1; Eva Bes (Spain) beat Virginia Ruano Pascual (Spain) 6-3 1-6 6-0; Rossana Neffa-De Los Rios (Paraguay) beat Anne-Gaelle Sidot (France) 6-3 6-1; 2-Venus Williams (U.S.) beat Wynne Prakusya (Indonesia) 6-0 6-1; 23-Anne Kremer (Luxembourg) beat Samantha Reeves (U.S.) 7-6 (7-3) 6-1; 10-Amelie Mauresmo (France) beat Nicole Pratt (Australia) 6-2 6-1; 11-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) beat Adriana Serra Zanetti (Italy) 6-3 6-1; Ludmila Cervanova (Slovakia) beat 29-Iva Majoli (Croatia) 4-6 6-3 6-0; 31-Rita Grande (Italy) beat Alina Jidkova (Russia) 6-0 7-5; 18-Tatiana Panova (Russia) beat Mirjana Lucic (Croatia) 6-1 6-1; Clarisa Fernandez (Argentina) beat Jelena Kostanic (Croatia) 6-3 6-4.

First round: Dally Randriantefy (Madagascar) beat Miriam Oremans (Netherlands) 6-0 6-3; Tina Pisnik (Slovenia) beat Kveta Hrdlickova (Czech Republic) 2-6 6-3 6-4; Tathiana Garbin (Italy) beat Silvija Talaja (Croatia) 7-6 (7-5) 6-4; Conchita Martinez (Spain) beat Maria Elena Camerin (Italy) 6-3 6-3; Marie-Gaiane Mikaelian (Switzerland) beat Rita Kuti Kis (Hungary) 4-6 6-1 6-0; 1-Jennifer Capriati (U.S.) beat Marissa Irvin (U.S.) 6-3 6-4; 9-Silvia Farina Elia (Italy) beat Elena Bovina (Russia) 3-6 6-2 6-4; Angelique Widjaja (Indonesia) beat Jill Craybas (U.S.) 2-6 7-5 6-1; Conchita Martinez Granados (Spain) beat 12-Meghann Shaughnessy (U.S.) 7-6 (10-8) 6-3; Vera Zvonareva (Russia) beat Maja Matevzic (Slovenia) 6-4 7-6 (9-7); Emilie Loit (France) beat Alicia Molik (Australia) 6-2 3-6 7-5; Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) beat Gala Leon Garcia (Spain) 6-3 6-4; Mary Pierce (France) beat Irina Selyutina (Kazakhstan) 7-5 7-5; Francesca Schiavone (Italy) beat 21-Anna Smashnova (Israel) 6-4 6-2; 17-Tamarine Tanasugarn (Thailand) beat Denisa Chladkova (Czech Republic) 6-3 6-2; 14-Iroda Tulyaganova (Uzbekistan) beat Eva Dyrberg (Denmark) 7-6 (10-8) 6-3; Christina Wheeler (Australia) beat Anna Kournikova (Russia) 6-4 6-3; 7-Jelena Dokic (Yugoslavia) beat Emmanuelle Gagliardi (Switzerland) 6-4 6-2; Evie Dominikovic (Australia) beat 28-Alexandra Stevenson (U.S.) 6-3 6-2; 3-Serena Williams (U.S.) beat Martina Sucha (Slovakia) 6-3 6-0; Jana Kandarr (Germany) beat Laurence Andretto (France) 6-3 6-0; Marta Marrero (Spain) beat 15-Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (Spain) 6-0 6-1; 20-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) beat Milagros Sequera (Venezuela) 6-3 6-2; 32-Cristina Torrens Valero (Spain) beat Magdalena Grzybowska (Poland) 6-2 6-1—Agencies