Second seed Andy Roddick showed few effects of a bout of stomach flu and safely digested compatriot Todd Martin 7-6 6-4 7-5 to win his first match at Roland Garros in three years.

In perhaps his most impressive match ever at the tournament, Roddick came from a break down in the first set tiebreaker and completely turned the match around, whizzing huge serves, inside-out forehands and backhands down the line past his veteran foe. While Martin tried mightily to extend the contest beyond three sets, Roddick snared all the important points and never became unnerved by Martin’s constant variation in strategy.

The two bickered at the net after the contest because Martin was upset that Roddick had disputed his stoppage of play after a questionable line call, but they made up later in the locker room.

“For a lack of a better phrase, I made a royal you-know what out of myself,” Martin said. “Unfortunately that could reflect poorly on Andy and that’s my fault.”

In the third set, Martin stopped proceedings after he had struck a backhand to check a mark. Roddick contested that Martin should have been forced to continue play, but the chair umpire agreed with Martin and called the ball out. Roddick said he didn’t understand the rule.

“I believe him,” said Martin. “It’s my mistake. But I was upset at the time because I think I’ve earned Andy’s respect and I didn’t feel like that at the time.”

Nonetheless, Roddick was a superior player to Martin, who essentially let go of the contest when he missed a sitter backhand crosscourt ahead 4-2 in the tiebreaker. Roddick quickly ran off the next four points and won the breaker with a backhand volley winner.

At 4-3 in the second set, Roddick came back from a 0-40 deficit with three aces, a service winner and a backhand down the line. He easily held to win the set. The 21-year-old American knows that if he has any hope of going deep here, he has to step it up on his backhand side.

“It’s coming along,” Roddick said. “There’s been steady improvement on that side for the past year or two. I’m going to try to keep it going that way.”

Martin hung tough, but fell apart while serving at 5-5 when he committed a forehand error and was broken to 5-6. Roddick coolly served the contest out.

Roddick, who has lost in the first round here the past two years, was quite relieved.

“Obviously, it wouldn’t have been fun to go Trippe Crown for three years and then you add my two Davis Cup losses here,” said Roddick, who lost to Arnaud Clement and Sebastian Grosjean in France’s semi final win over the US two years ago. “It’s definitely nice to get a win and not to walk away disappointed after the first day. I’m into the tournament a little.”

While Roddick ended last year at No1, he is currently far behind Roger Federer in the rankings and if he’s have any hope of eventually catching the Swiss, he has to put his foot down at Roland Garros.

“My goal is to make it to the second week and then anything goes,” said Roddick, who is being accompanied here by his new girlfriend, Lauren Bedford. “This tournament more than any other, I definitely have to take it one round at a time.”

Roddick will face France’s Olivier Mutis in the second round, who upended American Robby Ginepri in straight sets.