Justine Henin begins French Open comeback by beating Tsvetana Pironkova 6-4, 6-3

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Henin wins in 1st French Open match since ‘07

PARIS — As always, Justine Henin punctuated her best shots with shouts of “Allez!” — French for “Come on!”

In this case, it also meant, “I’m back!”

Henin took a big step Tuesday in her return from retirement, beating Tsvetana Pironkova in the first round of the French Open 6-4, 6-3.

The match was Henin’s first at Roland Garros since 2007, when she won the tournament for the fourth time. She rejoined the tour in January following a 20-month retirement, and while she’s seeded only 22nd, she’s considered one of the favorites for the title.

“She has all of the chances to win this tournament,” said Pironkova, who had played — and lost to — Henin three times before. “She still plays great. I don’t think she lost (anything) with that rest that she had. I think she is playing even better. She’s faster, and her strokes are more secure.”

Henin endured some ragged moments in the second set, when Pironkova won three consecutive games for a 3-2 lead. Henin swept 10 points in a row to regain control, and following another wobble serving at 4-3, she took the final six points.

“She suddenly started to go for her strokes,” Pironkova said. “She started to play more aggressive.”

Henin hit picturesque backhands, nifty drop shots and booming overhead slams — all staples in a repertoire that has helped her win seven Grand Slam titles. She also missed more than half of her first serves, however, and blew a handful of easy putaways.

Despite the inconsistent play, Henin extended her winning streak at Roland Garros to 22 consecutive matches and 37 consecutive sets. She hasn’t lost at the French Open since 2004.

Warm, hazy weather had players seeking refuge under umbrellas in their changeover chairs, and the conditions seemed to suit seeded players. Among those advancing were No. 18 Sharar Peer, No. 21 Vera Zvonareva, No. 23 Daniela Hantuchova and No. 29 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. None lost more than six games.

On the men’s side, No. 7 Fernando Verdasco beat Igor Kunitsyn 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

American Taylor Dent won a match at Roland Garros for the first time, and his reward will be a chance to play 2009 runner-up Robin Soderling on Wednesday.

Dent’s attacking game is typically not well-suited to clay, but warm, dry weather at the start of the tournament has made the courts harder and quicker. He took advantage Monday by beating Nicolas Lapentti 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3), and he figures his aggressive approach might work against Soderling.

They haven’t played each other since 2004.

“My style is very unique to everybody he’s faced,” Dent said. “I’m not going to keep the ball as high as he’s normally used to. I’m going to keep the ball a fair bit lower.

“If the conditions are hot and I’m serving well, I’m going to be tough to break, even on a clay court. If I don’t play a solid match, he might beat me up. If I do play a solid match, I feel like I’m going to have a chance to get a win.”

The warm weather has given U.S. men a shot at their best Roland Garros in several years. No. 17-seeded John Isner also reached the second round for the first time by beating Andrey Golubev 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 on Monday.

U.S. men have a 3-4 record so far in the first round, and they’re sure to advance at least one more player. On Tuesday, No. 18 Sam Querrey was to face Robby Ginepri in an all-American matchup, while No. 6 Andy Roddick was to play Jarkko Nieminen, and Michael Russell was to take on Florent Serra.

The Americans are already assured of an improvement on last year, when they went 2-7 in the first round. Only four have reached the men’s third round since 2006.

While the French Open has been their worst major tournament, Dent said it’s wrong to think they don’t care about Roland Garros.

“It is a Grand Slam,” Dent said. “We love coming over here and playing. There’s no doubt about it, and there’s nothing more that Americans love than to come over here and win matches. We always have that label, like, ‘Oh, you’re American. First round, see you later.’ So I think we get a lot of pride from winning matches here.”