PARIS -- American Andy Roddick's stay at Roland Garros was a short one, while Andre Agassi swept through and Gustavo Kuerten squeaked through on Wednesday.

Wayne Arthurs hit 25 aces and rallied to beat the 13th-seeded Roddick 4-6, 7-6 (14), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 in a first-round match.

Roddick, who made it to the final in Houston and the semifinals in Rome in the past month on clay, lost a lot of energy in the second set tiebreak that he narrowly won 16-14.

Roddick, 19, trailed 5-6 in the fourth set and, before serving, got a rubdown from the trainer on his left calf. Arthurs then broke Roddick's serve to even the match.

Arthurs, who reached the round of 16 at Roland Garros last year, broke Roddick again for a 3-1 lead in the final set and went on to win.

``It's tough because he has about 72 different serves he can hit, so you're not really sure which one's coming,'' Roddick said of Arthurs.

Two-time defending champion Kuerten took a victory lap around the court, slapping hands with fans along the way after he rallied to beat Davide Sanguinetti 6-7 (0), 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the second round Wednesday.

Kuerten, still trying to get in top tennis shape after hip surgery earlier this year, summoned all his strength to win the 3-hour, 2-minute match -- his 16th straight victory at Roland Garros.

Last year as he was capturing his second straight title and third overall, he carved a heart in the clay to tell the fans of his feelings.

Agassi made quick work of qualifier Eric Prodon 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 in the first round of the French Open.

Fourth-seeded Agassi, winner here in 1999, had little trouble brushing aside the 274-ranked Frenchman with his powerful serves and blistering groundstrokes.

Prodon, playing his second tour-level match following a first-round exit at Roland Garros two years ago, made a spirited effort to counter-attack the Agassi serve in the first two sets but failed to sustain any form of rhythm.

``I feel about as good as I can feel coming into the tournament,'' said Agassi, who earlier won the Italian Open.

Top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt was way behind before he got rolling. He rallied from one set and 5-0 down to beat qualifier Andrei Stoliarov of Russia 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-0, 7-5 and make the third round.

Second-seeded Marat Safin, who'd been questionable for the Grand Slam tournament because of a pinched nerve in his back, showed his emotions throughout a 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4 win over Michael Llodra. At one point, Safin tossed his racket into the stands and a fan returned it to him.

Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson, ninth-seeded, was knocked out by Arnaud Clement 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-3, in a second-round meeting. Also ousted was No. 5 seed and 1996 champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov, sent out 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4) by Mariano Zabaleta.

Juan Carlos Ferrero, a semifinalist the last two years and 11th-seeded this year, injured his ankle in practice Wednesday and his status for his second-around next match was to be determined after he was examined by doctors Thursday.

No. 10 Sebastien Grosjean, a local favorite, beat Francisco Clavet 7-6 (0), 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-3 in his first-round match.

Reuters contributed to this report.