FRENCH OPEN
Venue: Roland Garros Date: 24 May - 7 June
Coverage: Live on BBC Red Button, live streaming and daily text commentary on BBC Sport website, updates on BBC Radio 5 Live plus second week commentary on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra. TV coverage on Eurosport.
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Keothavong will now turn her attention to the grass court season
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Dinara Safina produced a devastating display of power and aggression to beat British number one Anne Keothavong 6-0 6-0 in round one of the French Open.
World number one Safina raced through the first set as her crashing forehands left Keothavong chasing shadows.
The 23-year-old was equally ruthless in the second and wrapped up her commanding victory in only 61 minutes.
Melanie South and Katie O'Brien, the remaining Britons in the women's draw, are in action later on Monday.
Safina, last year's beaten finalist, will play fellow Russian Vitalia Diatchenko for a place in round three.
Keothavong, ranked 48 in the world, did not play badly but was simply outclassed by the top seed.
She made an encouraging start by going 0-30 up on the Safina serve in game one after the Russian followed an unforced error with a double-fault.
But Safina's power and variety prevented Keothavong from capitalising and and it was not long before she was 2-0 up, Keothavong netting a forehand to gift her opponent the first break.
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606: DEBATE
Stuart
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The Briton could easily have let her head drop but responded aggressively and engineered two break points in game three, but Safina saved both and although Keothavong kept the game alive by dabbing a fine forehand up the line after a tremendous rally, she went long to slip 3-0 behind.
Keothavong's movement and shot selection was improving all the time - she twice surged into the net to take command of game four - but Safina seemed capable of upping the intensity at will and when Keothavong went long with a forehand she had the double-break.
Not for the first time, Keothavong impressively levelled at deuce in game five but the overwhelming strength of Safina's groundstrokes came to the fore yet again and a thumping forehand winner put her within a break of winning the first set to love.
That was secured with three outstanding forehand winners and another which Keothavong could only net.
It was more of the same at the start of the second set as Safina held serve, albeit with the help of a net cord, and then raced to 0-40 on the Keothavong serve. She let slip the first two opportunities but a backhand winner sent her 2-0 ahead.
Keothavong battled to 0-30 up on the Safina serve in game three and later levelled for deuce, but when she missed a straightforward volley to hand over the game, the end was in sight.
The London-based player opened a 40-0 lead on serve in the next game but two double-faults aided Safina's recovery and a passing shot at the net, followed by Keothavong going long with a forehand, made it 4-0.
Safina held with a delicate drop shot after a succession of overhead smashes and then confirmed her place in the second round by breaking Keothavong for the fifth time in the match on her fifth match point.
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