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Positive Steffi makes an impressive opening

Steffi Graf might have been condemned as yesterday's news by the upcoming brat pack of the Nineties, but the enigmatic German waltzed through her first-round match against Magdaleena Maleeva, winning 6-2, 6-0 under 50 minutes with a minimum of fuss on the second day of the 1999 French Open tennis championship at the Roland Garros courts in Paris.

On a neighbouring court, Monica Seles essayed another blow for the senior legion by taking just an hour to record a facile 6-2, 6-2 win over Fang Li of China.

The two ex-divas of the women's tennis circuit are in line for a quarterfinal stand-off, bringing a touch of nostalgia into the penultimate championship the Roland Garros hosts this millennium.

In the men's draw, third-seeded Aussie Patrick Rafter survived a first-set loss to bury Swiss teenager Roger Federer 5-7, 6-3, 6-0, 6-2, while 1997 champion Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil despatched Spain's Galo Blanco 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.

Last year's runner-up, Spaniard Alex Corretja, showed little sense of kinship, demolishing countryman German Puentes 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, 6-2. Number 16 Thomas Enqvist of Sweden, this year's Australian Open runner-up, got past Argentina's Hector Moretti 4-6, 6-0, 6-4, 6-2.

Number 11 Karol Kucera of Slovakia became the second men's seed to disappoint the organisers' billing as Sweden's Magnus Larsson posted a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 upset.

Earlier, ninth seed Nathalie Tauziat downed fellow Frenchwoman Amelie Cocheteux 6-4, 6-3 whilst her country focussed its affection on Amelie Mauresmo. Number 11 Patty Schnyder of Switzerland outlasted American Corina Morariu 3-6, 6-3, 8-6 and number 16 Julie Halard-Decugis of France rallied past Karina Habsudova of Slovakia 1-6, 6-4, 6-1

Fourteenth seed Amanda Coetzer, however, suffered her second consecutive first-round loss at the Garros as Japan's Ai Sugiyama bounced the diminutive South African 7-5, 6-1.

Temperamental Aussie Mark Phillippousis shot himself in the foot, going out against bespectacled compatriot Jason Stoltenberg with a string of unforced errors 7-6, 6-4, 6-1.

Twenty-year-old prodigy Paul Haarhuis directed a few of the arclights on himself, outlasting a stubborn Marc Rosset in a gruelling first and second set, after which he took control of the Swiss giant and won the third set 6-1.

Second and eighth seeds Lindsay Davenport and Mary Pierce, respectively, carved out straight-set wins, with Davenport displaying a brand of power tennis that helped her storm the net time and again in an impressive showing.

But the match that seems to have sold itself out really quickly is the one involving Russian beauty Anna Kournikova, who will take on Tamarine Tanasugarn later today.

But the player who turned all heads was Steffi Graf. She walked out with her head held high, and after conceding her serve to Maleeva once, took her apart in almost the same way she had demolished Natalia Zvereva 11 years ago in a semi-final at the same venue. Her ground strokes came off the wrong foot, befuddling her opponent; her serves were just like in her halcyon days -- flat, fast, and well-disguised.

Graf was buttonholed at the post-match conference on how her game still lacks the power of a Venus Williams or a Martina Hingises. But she maintained that her on-court consistency has returned and that she is riding a new wave of positivity that has enabled her to go for her shots with greater enthusiasm than at any time in the last two years.

Day 1, Parfait!