Ashley Harkleroad notched the biggest victory of her brief career yesterday, winning a French Open marathon against No 9-seeded Daniela Hantuchova 7-6 (2), 4-6, 9-7.

　　With the win, the 18-year-old American advanced to the third round of a Grand Slam event for the first time.

　　Harkleroad won despite blowing a 5-1 lead in the third set and losing five consecutive games. The letdown left her on the verge of defeat, and her eyes welled with tears.

　　"I was so tight and wanting it so bad, I guess," she said. "I said, 'OK, Ashley, you're not going to lose this. You're going to fight.' I tried to breathe and relax."

　　Harkleroad regrouped, and after three hours, eight minutes of tennis, she earned the first match point. When Hantuchova sailed her final shot wide, Harkleroad squealed, dropped her racket and sprinted to the stands for celebratory hugs.

　　Harkleroad also beat Hantuchova at Charleston, South Carolina last month, but this win came on a much bigger stage. Hantuchova, who had reached the quarterfinals in the last three major events, contributed to her defeat with 106 unforced errors.

　　"Sometimes I was going too much for it and doing too many mistakes," Hantuchova said. "In the end, it was just a couple of points that decided the match."

　　She was right: The slender Slovakian won 131 points, Harkleroad 133.

　　Another marathon involved 1996 champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who was eliminated in the 30th five-set match of his career. Flavio Saretta outlasted the No 17-seeded Russian 6-4, 3-6, 6-0, 6-7 (0), 6-4 in three hours, 55 minutes.

　　No 21 Lisa Raymond lost to Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 7-6 (3). Advancing to the third round were No 14 Eleni Daniilidou, No 16 Ai Sugiyama and No 19 Patty Schnyder.

　　Harkleroad has drawn comparisons to Anna Kournikova, and her matchup with the equally photogenic Hantuchova attracted a crowd of cheering youngsters who made Court 1 sound like a schoolyard playground.

　　The two blond opponents appeared almost identical in matching powder-blue outfits - to their dismay.

　　"It's a nice color," Hantuchova said. "But I don't think it's good when both of us are wearing the same thing."

　　Despite some sloppy shotmaking, the match was filled with entertaining, scrambling exchanges. Through a series of momentum swings, Harkleroad showed impressive persistence.

　　"I've always been very feisty and a fighter," she said. "I don't know where it came from. It's just me."

　　Ranked 52nd, Harkleroad began rushing her shots in the third set to fall behind 6-5. She recovered with help from the erratic Hantuchova, who committed eight unforced errors to lose eight of the next nine points.

　　Harkleroad held serve for an 8-7 lead, and errors by Hantuchova on the final three points gave the American the victory.

　　Daniilidou needed three sets to beat Tathiana Garbin 6-0, 4-6, 6-2. Sugiyama eliminated Sandra Kleinova 7-5, 6-0, and Schnyder defeated Stephanie Cohen Aloro 6-3, 7-6 (4).

　　In men's play, No 23 Younes El Aynaoui beat Christophe Rochus 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.

　　On Tuesday, Andy Roddick's up-and-down year reached another low when he was upset by Sargis Sargsian, and three-time French Open winner Monica Seles lost in the opening round for the first time in 40 major events.

　　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 he also made the semifinals at the Australian Open, reached three finals and won a clay event Saturday in Austria.

　　His explanation?

　　"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."

　　Seles lost to Nadia Petrova 6-4, 6-0, then said she'll take some time off to rest her ailing feet. If they don't heal, Seles said she might retire. Asked if this could be her last French Open, the 29-year-old Seles said: "If I can't practice the level that I want to, yeah, defin-itely. And if I can, then for sure not. Because this is not the way I would like to leave."