Federer ties Connors

PARIS (AP) - On the occasion of his record-tying 233rd victory in a Grand Slam match, Roger Federer was asked Monday whether he recalls which player he beat for his first win at a major tournament.

"Well, I should, shouldn't I? Um, let me see," Federer said, then hesitated and rubbed his eyes before conceding: "OK. I can't remember."

A reporter reminded him it was Michael Chang at the 2000 Australian Open.

"Was it? Well, that was a beautiful victory, then," the 16-time major champion replied with a grin.

Federer equaled Jimmy Connors' Open era mark and improved to 233-35 at tennis' top four tournaments by beating Tobias Kamke of Germany 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 in the first round of the French Open.

"You step back, you realize you have been playing for quite a long time. ... When I started, I loved playing against those famous players I used to see on TV. Now I'm playing against younger players, a new generation," he said. "It's great I didn't suffer that many injuries over these years. And I always had fun playing tennis."

Connors won eight Grand Slam titles while going 233-49 from 1970-92, an .826 winning percentage bettered by Federer's .869.

"Jimmy Connors was a huge champion. Still is," Federer said.

He improved to 50-12 at Roland Garros, where his 2009 championship completed a career Grand Slam. Now Federer is the only man with at least 50 Open era match wins each at all four.

And here's one more stat: Federer is playing in his 50th consecutive major tournament, the longest active streak and third-longest in the Open era, which began in 1968, when professionals were allowed into the Grand Slam events.

"Look, I obviously love the big tournaments," he said. "I have been so successful for such a long time, and to already tie that record (at) 30 years old is pretty incredible, so I'm very happy."

His 30th birthday was Aug. 8, and Federer is trying to become the oldest man to win a Grand Slam tournament since Andre Agassi was 32 at the 2003 Australian Open. Federer has gone more than two years without a major title - his longest drought since winning his first at Wimbledon in 2003.

On Monday, Federer was not quite perfect against the 78th-ranked Kamke, who fell to 6-10 at Grand Slams and has never advanced past the third round at any.

There were hiccups, particularly with the Swiss star's serving. He was broken once in each set, including while trying to serve for the match at 5-2 in the third. He also piled up 47 unforced errors, 16 more than Kamke.

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic advanced to the second round of the French Open by beating Potito Starace of Italy 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-1.

Djokovic is trying to win his fourth straight Grand Slam tournament. The top-seeded Serb won the other three major titles in 2011 along with this year's Australian Open.

At last year's French Open, he lost to Roger Federer in the semifinals.

Brian Baker, the 27-year-old from Nashville, Tenn., won his main-draw debut at Roland Garros, beating 2002 Wimbledon semifinalist Xavier Malisse of Belgium 6-3, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (5), the latest step in a hard-to-believe comeback.

"It's definitely something I didn't envision, I'd say, a couple months ago or a year ago," Baker said. "But the last couple weeks, my game has come around. Feeling a lot healthier and definitely playing some good tennis."

He was cheered on by his parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, and his girlfriend Monday.

Well worth the trip.

Baker was forced off the tour for 6 1/2 years because of a series of operations that began in November 2005 and included work on his right elbow, both hips - the left one twice - and a sports hernia.

Only 22, just recently a Grand Slam champion and ranked No. 1 for the first time, Victoria Azarenka is still learning to think like a top player.

So trailing by a set and one point from being down 5-0 in the second at the FrenchOpen on Monday, Azarenka's mind was filled with "a mix of things."

"Sometimes I felt it was not my day," she explained. "Sometimes I thought, 'Yeah, maybe I still fight, I still have a chance.' Sometimes it was like, 'You know what? Forget it. I don't want to do it.'"

And yet she did do it, listening to the most positive of those voices and beginning the climb back from a daunting deficit with a gutsy second-serve ace, of all things. Showing how far she's come from the petulance of earlier in her career, Azarenka took 12 of the last 14 games to beat Alberta Brianti of Italy 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-2.

American women are 10 for 10 so far at the FrenchOpen, giving the country its most representatives in the Grand Slam tournament's second round since 11 made it in 2003.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands eliminated 12th-seeded Sabine Lisicki of Germany 6-4, 6-3 on Monday.

Lauren Davis, an 18-year-old qualifier from Boca Raton, Fla., surprised 30th-seeded Mona Barthel of Germany 6-1, 6-1, when all six U.S. women who played were winners.

The others: Vania King beat Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan 6-4, 6-2; Sloane Stephens defeated Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 6-4, 7-6 (6); Varvara Lepchenko beat Ksenia Pervak of Kazakhstan 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-4; and Christina McHale edged Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.