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FINAL FOR SUNDAY (SELECTION IN BOLD)

Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (3) vs. Martin Verkerk NED

- On paper this is a no contest, but the big serving Dutchman has shown that history has counted for little in his path to the final. He has served more aces than any other player at the French Open since records began, but I feel he needs to be at his best today just to be competitive - the size of his achievement here and the associated mental fatigue may start to have a effect on his game. Ferrero failed miserably under the pressure against Costa in last year's final, but it's worth mentioning that he was indeed troubled by an ankle injury, so I feel he can realise his dream today on his second opportunity.

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SEMI FINALS FOR FRIDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Albert Costa ESP (9) vs. Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (3)

- Can the comeback king do it again? It would be a brave judge to totally discount the defending champion - especially given their encounter here in the final a year ago. But as Costa's on court time this fortnight stretches past the 18 hour mark, one would have to suggest that this will be an almighty task. He got past a faltering Robredo, but I feel Ferrero has a point to prove today and will comfortably get the job done.

Martin Verkerk NED vs. Guillermo Coria ARG (7)

- Don't get me wrong - I've been a huge supporter of the up and coming Dutchman for almost twelve months now - but he has most certainly run his race in Paris. Coria will wear Verkerk down like Moya was not capable of doing in Wednesday's quarter final. Yes, Verkerk will get plenty of free points on the serve, but he'll need to do a lot more than that to have any sort of chance today.

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QUARTER FINALS FOR WEDNESDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Tommy Robredo ESP (28) vs. Albert Costa ESP (9)

- The defending champion proved me and many others wrong when he dominated Clement from the start in their fourth round match on Monday. Given his lead-up form it has been a truly remarkable turnaround to reach the quarters here. He faces another tough proposition today. Robredo is coming off wins over Hewitt and Kuerten but at just 21 years of age and with no experience at this end of a Grand Slam tourney I do have some reservations as to whether he will be able maintain his current level of play. His first serve is unlikely to trouble Costa, so he'll have to work very hard for the win, but with Costa spending over 15 hours on court here, if it goes to four or five he's my pick.

Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (3) vs. Fernando Gonzalez CHI (19)

- The heavy hitting Chilean is on a handy winning run over the past few weeks but this is undoubtedly his toughest test - by some distance. He defeated the Spaniard in the juniors here some years ago, but a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then. Other wins on faster surfaces last year aren't relevant on this surface. Ferrero will get more back and the resulting added pressure on Gonzalez' back court game may also extend his error count.

The young Argentinean gets another crack at Agassi after blisters forced him out of their Australian Open clash in January. You've got to hand it to the veteran American after coming here with minimal preparation and apart from a lapse against Ancic, cruising thorough to the quarter-final stage. This will be much tougher however. Coria on clay in his current form will be very tough to beat. He comes off a lengthy match against Zabaleta, but he is very fit and determined. He may actually out run Agassi should the match go the distance.

QUARTER FINAL FOR TUESDAY (SELECTION IN BOLD)

Martin Verkerk NED vs. Carlos Moya ESP (4)

- If the big-serving Dutchman can fire down as many bullets as he did in his last match against Schuettler, he must be rated a chance today. But, one has to feel that Verkerk, reaching the quarters at his first French Open, may become a little overawed at this stage of the tourney up against the experienced Spaniard.

The Spaniard come out on top in three sets when these two met in Rome in early May, but that was before he spent twelve hours and fifteen sets getting past his first three opponents here. Clement on the other hand is the only player to make the round of sixteen without dropping a set and has spent half the time on court. He will be decidedly fresher and should the match go to a fourth or fifth set, it's hard to see the defending champion having a chance.

4TH ROUND MATCHES FOR MONDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Tommy Robredo ESP (28) vs. Gustavo Kuerten BRA (15)

- Robredo took a giant step in his great comeback against Hewitt but this won't be any easier. Guga has been getting better as the tournament has gone on but I do think it would be a little premature to pencil in the win today. He had a very low 1st serve (45%) against Gaudio and while Robredo is unlikely to punish the second serve, poor serving will certainly put added pressure on the Brazilian's game.

Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (3) vs. Felix Mantilla ESP (20)

- Ferrero leads the head-to-head series 6-0, but remarkably dropping a set in each encounter. Mantilla will know he is not far away, but Ferrero would have to more highly favoured over the best of five sets. He looks to have the edge is just about every department, most notably the serve.

Fernando Gonzalez CHI (19) vs. Jarkko Nieminen FIN (30)

- The Fin came through a very tight encounter with Hanescu but he looks very vulnerable to the Gonzalez power game today. Nieminen will have to lift his serve appreciably or the big Gonzalez forehand might be back before he gets a chance to swing the racquet. The Chilean looks fit and has been playing more patient tennis in the last few weeks so it would be hard to see him dropping this one.

The big-serving Dutchman continues to impress. He now must be rated an excellent chance of reaching the quarter finals in his first attempt at Roland Garros. Schuettler was facing a very tough battle before Ferreira went down injured in the last round and on that performance he'll need to show a little more today. Verkerk will get plenty of free points on serve which might make the difference.

On '03 form and clay pedigree one would have to say that Moya is a deserved short-priced favourite, but I believe a few factors might even up Novak's chances today. Moya has come through a mentally and physically draining encounter with Chela. Not only did he have to deal with letting a two sets to love lead slip but also had to endure the discomfort of foot blisters. Novak also comes in with the added confidence of defeating the Spaniard in the (albeit 'Mickey-Mouse') lead-up event in Düsseldorf last week.

4TH ROUND MATCHES FOR SUNDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Guillermo Coria ARG (7) vs. Mariano Zabaleta ARG

- The highly rated Argentinean youngster could hardly have had a smoother run through to the fourth round - wins over the likes of Sa, Kiefer and Savolt. The fact that he has not been fully tested in lead-up before facing the in-form Zabaleta is of some concern, but the fresher legs should prevail.

Flavio Saretta BRA vs. Andre Agassi USA (2)

- Agassi got past Malisse in three tight sets without overly impressing. Blanco did Saretta a favour by reducing his court time on Friday and allowing for extra recovery. Still no word on the Brazilian's possible groin strain, but assuming he is fully fit, I can see this going to the wire in the forecast 31C conditions - then we'll get to find out what sort of physical shape Agassi is in.

Hewitt has come through two tough matches and it doesn't get any easier today. He faces a genuine clay courter in Robredo - who is 50-21 on clay over the past three years and unlikely to take a backward step today. Hewitt failed to get the serve together against Davydenko on Thursday and still doesn't appear to be playing his best. The Court One fixture should also favour the Spaniard.

Guga only conceded two games to Hicham Arazi but he won't be expecting a repeat performance today. These two are at 2-2 in their head-to-head series, with Gaudio leading 2-0 on clay, most recently a three-set win at Rome this year. Gaudio has one of the strongest clay records going around (47-14 over the past two years). He is still susceptible to the occasional mental lapse when attempting to close out matches, but I'm confident he'll have too much for the three-time champion who has yet to get back to his best since returning from injury.

Hanescu must be rated a decent chance to reach the fourth round in his debut Grand Slam tournament. He qualified last week and has posted wins over Llodra and Sargsian in the main draw. Nieminen pulled off a remarkable victory against Varlet after trailing 16 16 14 on Thursday and while he will come into this with some confidence, he might be prone to suffering a let-down after such a performance.

3RD ROUND MATCHES FOR SATURDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Albert Costa ESP (9) vs. Nicolas Lapentti ECU

- Both of these have found some much needed form in Paris. Costa leads the head-to-head series 5-2 (3-1 on clay) and would have to be favoured to advance today. Prices look about right to me.

Arnaud Clement FRA (32) vs. Nicolas Coutelot FRA

- Coutelot had a fiery end to his match with Nalbandian but he has impressed with his play this week. The legs may be feeling it after coming through qualies but he must be rated some chance again today. He looks to have the edge in the serving department but the Frenchman looks the winner from the back court.

Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (3) vs. Tim Henman GBR (25)

- Should be relatively comfortable.

Felix Mantilla ESP (20) vs. Fernando Vicente ESP

- One sided head-to-head records haven't meant much this week, but it is worth noting that Mantilla leads Vicente 5-0 (4-0 on clay) and 10-0 in sets. Vicente made the most of his opportunities against Grosjean on Thursday but I'm not sure whether he'll be able to get many past Mantilla. He'll get plenty back but it won't be enough.

Sjeng Schalken NED (12) vs. Fernando Gonzalez CHI (19)

- Schalken is on a handy run after taking out last week's Prague challenger but he looks to be up against it today. Gonzalez is never a safe proposition with his hit or miss style, but he has far more experience on the dirt and should be able to fire too many past the Dutchman.

The veteran continues to impress as his career reaches it's climax. He is saving his best for the Grand Slams these days and with the conditions to suit, I see no reason why it won't continue today. He has more experience on the dirt and has impressed with his play here this week. Schuettler struggled in the lead-up while four-set wins over Mamiit and Lisnard here is nothing to write home about.

Novak has won both meetings on clay between these two, but as previously mentioned, Novak hasn't been firing on all cylinders this year. His error-riddled win over Marc Lopez on Wednesday gave no indication that his form is starting to pick up. Ljubicic came back yesterday to defeat Blake and on current form should go very close today.

Martin Verkerk 1.67 NED to bt Vincent Spadea USA (29)

The Dutchman took five sets on Wednesday to get past Federer's conqueror in Horna while Spadea dropped a set to Van Lottum. Verkerk came out on top 63 76 when these two met in Rome earlier in the month. The warm conditions will give him the big advantage in the serving department and his more attacking game should also bode well.

Guillermo Coria 1.10 ARG (7) to bt Attila Savolt HUN

Coria admitted to having some confidence issues in his match with Kiefer, but he is a class or two above Savolt. He somehow got past our man Youzhny on Wednesday despite a massive number of unforced errors and appalling serving stats.

Younes El Aynaoui 1.53 MAR (23) to bt Mariano Zabaleta ARG

A 7-0 head-to-head (all on clay) advantage in El Aynaoui's favour must act as a psychological advantage if nothing else. Still, Zabaleta got past Hrbaty in the second round who he also had never defeated. Both players look to have struck up some solid form here, but I fancy the conditions will suit El Aynaoui today.

Andre Agassi 1.10 USA (2) to bt Xavier Malisse BEL (26)

Malisse showed some great determination to get past Koubek in a marathon on Wednesday but one has to feel this will be too much. He suffered cramps towards the end of that one and he'll certainly be doing a lot of running again should this one go the distance.

3RD ROUND MATCHES FOR FRIDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Juan Ignacio Chela ARG (31) vs. Carlos Moya ESP (4)

- Should be a great game but the markets look about right as far as I'm concerned. Chela cleaned up Galimberti after an early lapse while Moya got past the dangerous Scud. The Spaniard is starting to recapture that form from early in the clay season and will appreciate the faster conditions.

Galo Blanco ESP vs. Flavio Saretta BRA

- Saretta had a great win over Yevgeny, but there are concerns over his withdrawal from a doubles match and a possible groin strain. The veteran Blanco is playing with great confidence getting past Puerta in the last round without dropping serve. I'm happy to sit this one out.

The Aussie needs to lift his game appreciably to justify his price today. He was ordinary to say the least against Vahaly on Tuesday. It wasn't the huge number of errors (99) but his poor serve (47%), particularly on the big points, that highlighted the lack of confidence he is experiencing on this surface at the moment. Davydenko is relatively inexperienced at this level and he only took four games off Hewitt at this stage of the tournament two years ago, but he has improved out of sight since then and on current form, it's hard to see Hewitt getting through this one.

Coutelot followed up his three comfortable qualifying wins - the final round against Roitman incidentally - with a demolition of the Italian veteran Sanguinetti. He certainly looks to well over that leg injury that forced him out of a challenger event earlier in the month. He now has a 4-2 record here in the past three years and don't forget he pushed Ferrero to five sets last year. Nalbandian turned around some very ordinary form in the lead-up tournaments in Germany, but this represents a big danger game.

Sargsian used his Grand Slam experience and more importantly his patience to great effect when taking out Roddick in the first round, while the qualifier Hanescu had a comfortable win over Llodra. I really can't see much separating these two, so at the odds I have to side with the Romanian.

Tommy Robredo 1.25 ESP (28) to bt Jonas Bjorkman SWE

Robredo had some good fortune when the improving Giovanni Lapentti was forced to pull out on Tuesday when leading two sets to one. Bjorkman had a rare clay win over Mirnyi in the first round but this looks beyond him.

Gaston Gaudio 1.10 ARG (21) to bt Olivier Mutis FRA

The Argentinean is still prone to the occasional mental lapse in the big games but lower ranked players usually provide fewer problems.

Gustavo Kuerten 1.24 BRA (15) to bt Hicham Arazi MAR

Guga had a scare against Rosset and is still clearly not playing his best tennis, while Arazi dropped a set to Sluiter. A 5-1 head-to-head advantage in the Brazilian's favour bodes well for an easier passage today.

Felix Mantilla 1.12 ESP (20) to bt Federico Browne ARG

- Browne did the job for us with a magnificent comeback against Olivier Rochus while Mantilla came through in three tight sets against the improving H-T Lee. His form prior and record here should hold up well this week until he runs into the 'Mosquito'.

Jarkko Nieminen 1.24 FIN (30) to bt Julien Varlet FRA

- Varlet continued on from his excellent qualifying form with a win over Carlsen but he jumps a class today. The Fin struggled early against Escude on Tuesday and should be able to lift his game and progress.

OTHER 2ND ROUND MATCHES FOR THURSDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Albert Costa ESP (9) vs. Radek Stepanek CZE

- Costa performed a Houdini-like performance on Tuesday when coming back from two sets and a break down against Roitman, while Stepanek saved set points in the fourth to get past Arthurs. It's unlikely the Czech's on court antics will bother Costa.

Nicolas Lapentti ECU vs. Franco Squillari ARG

- Lapentti turned around his ordinary form with a win over French youngster while Franco shocked countryman Calleri. Squillari lost to eventual finalist Montanes last week in the Prague challenger and despite failing to qualify for the TMS events, he did beat Safin in Valencia a month ago. That's more form than Lapentti showed and he also boasts a 3-1 (all on clay) head-to-head advantage.

Arnaud Clement FRA (32) vs. Lars Burgsmuller GER

- The Frenchman got past Enqvist but he is clearly yet to get back to his best following his return from injury earlier in the year. Wins over the likes of Dupuis, Hanquez, Sanguinetti and Lapentti in the last month fails to give me the impression that this will be easy. Burgsmuller had a few solid matches under his belt last week and did well to upset the talented Fish in the first round here. Should be tight.

Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (3) vs. Nicolas Massu CHI

- Ferrero didn't look 100% on Tuesday with a slight struggle to get past Kratochvil while Massu had too much for an injured Norman. The Chilean can certainly fight and will run plenty down, but he'll struggle to get many past Ferrero.

Todd Martin USA vs. Tim Henman GBR (25)

- Plenty of history between these two with Henman leading the series 4-3, this being their first encounter on the red dirt. Martin had an early lapse before getting past the inexperienced Acasuso, while Henman did what he had to against the out of place Voltchkov. Neither have done much in the lead-up, but the Brit has the better record at Roland Garros and deserves to start a slight fave in my book.

Fernando Vicente ESP vs. Sebastien Grosjean FRA (14)

- Vicente made hard work of Waske as predicted and got through despite winning fewer points, while Grosjean beat Voinea despite making 91 errors in four sets. The Frenchman has played well here the past two years, but his limited preparation may take it's toll today.

Sjeng Schalken NED (12) vs. Fabrice Santoro FRA

- Schalken got past Draper in four to follow up his win in the Prague challenger on Saturday, while Santoro did what he had to against Chang. The Frenchman will have to play a more attacking game against Schalken to be any chance, but match fitness should prevail.

Albert Portas ESP vs. Fernando Gonzalez CHI (19)

- The heavy hitting Gonzalez posted more winners than errors such was his dominant display over Gambill on Tuesday. The two weeks in Germany as a lead-up looks to have done wonders for the Chilean's game and I can see him having too much power for the Spanish journeyman.

Schuettler did not have it all his own way against Mamiit and he has never advanced past the second round here. Lisnard defeated Argentinean qualifier Delfino in four and has a 2-0 (both on hard) head-to-head advantage over the German. He certainly has the ability on the clay to prolong this and for mine should be much shorter.

Zabaleta got past Feliciano Lopez in three sets but he'll have to be much more attacking get past the consistent Slovakian. Neither have been in the best form in the lead-up and I can't see there being too much in this at all. Hrbaty has the significant 4-0 head-to-head (2-0 on clay, albeit not since '98) advantage.

The Brazilian is moving up the rankings in a hurry. He has claimed some big names on the clay in recent times so it would be no surprise to see him overpower the '96 champion. Kafelnikov made quick work of Boutter in the first round but the stats seem to indicate that the Frenchman was making most of the play but just making too many errors.

Ivan Ljubicic 1.72 CRO to bt James Blake USA (24)

Ljubicic posted some very good wins over clay courters in the lead-up and he could hardly have been more impressive against Kucera in the opening round here. Can't read too much into Blake's win over Dent, but I don't feel he has yet to acquire the patience required on the clay, and it will be especially telling over five sets.

Mikhail Youzhny 1.33 RUS (27) to bt Attila Savolt

The Russian came out firing against Sanchez on Monday. Savolt defeated Vinciguerra in four after qualifying but he lacks the class to get close today.

OTHER 2ND ROUND MATCHES FOR WEDNESDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Luis Horna PER vs. Martin Verkerk NED

- Horna will face a tough task coming down to earth from the massive high of beating Federer on Monday. As much as he deserved the win, Federer did provide the assistance with a massive number of unforced errors. Verkerk will do more than get the ball back in play and should continue his excellent form.

John van Lottum NED vs. Vincent Spadea USA (29)

- The Dutchman turned around his poor form with a tight win over Dick Norman, but Spadea has been riding the crest of a wave this year and once again the draw has opened up nicely for him. I'm happy to sit this one out.

Wayne Ferreira RSA (22) vs. David Ferrer ESP

- Ferrer looks as though he is starting to turn his form around, but the experienced South African veteran looks to have the edge and will find a way to win this.

Jiri Novak CZE (13) vs. Marc Lopez ESP

- The Czech has certainly come up short enough given his indifferent form this year, but one would have to think that he'll prove too strong against the Spanish qualifier.

Juan Ignacio Chela ARG (31) vs. Giorgio Galimberti ITA

- Chela got past Saulnier on Monday but this looms as a genuine danger game. Galimberti may have come into the main draw as a lucky loser, but he has the consistency to take this right up to Chela who will be looking to advance past the 2nd round for the first time.

Mark Philippoussis AUS vs. Carlos Moya ESP (4)

- The Scud did the job for us on Monday with a terrific comeback against Alex Kim. Their prior matches have been fairly tight, with the only clay meeting here last year in the same round with Moya winning 62 76 76. Moya dropped a set to the in-form Volandri on Monday and has not been in the greatest of form but it's hard to go against him on the dirt.

Guillermo Coria ARG (7) vs. Nicolas Kiefer GER

- Another practice session for the young Argentinean.

Younes El Aynaoui MAR (23) vs. Christophe Rochus BEL

- El Aynaoui was far from impressive against Dupuis on Monday. Rochus, through to the second round for the first time in five attempts, will have to cut down on the errors today to be a chance.

Galo Blanco ESP vs. Mariano Puerta ARG

- Very even match up. Puerta leads the head-to-head series 3-0 (all on clay) but the last meeting was four years ago. Maybe a slight edge to the Spaniard.

Xavier Malisse BEL (26) vs. Stefan Koubek AUT

- Some excellent serving and an attacking game plan helped Malisse ease past the clay courter Calatrava in the opening round while Koubek did what he had to against the clay-hating Popp. Malisse has made it through the first round for the eleventh straight in Grand Slams, but his form coming into this was poor to say the least.  Both have been known to ease off when things don't go their way, so this is one I'm happy to sit out.

Mario Ancic CRO vs. Andre Agassi USA (2)

- Another Grand Slam draw opens up for Andre. Surely not again?

The French teenager took the first set off eventual champion Costa here last year. He has had some big wraps placed upon him but he is still very inexperienced and notably yet to win a Grand Slam match. He won a challenger event in Italy with some tight three set wins a month ago, but he has followed that up with challenger losses to Ramirez-Hidalgo and Soderling. Lapentti has had a very dismal 0-5 start to the clay season and his record at RG is nothing to get excited about, but I believe experience will count for a lot in this one.

The Argentinean Browne qualified with a win over Clavet and he does have solid clay challenger form to his credit. He defeated Rochus 76 63 in Casablanca last month. Olivier ended a disappointing start to the clay season with wins over the likes of El Aynaoui, Costa and Henman in Hamburg, but these are far different (warmer and faster) conditions. The Belgian has the edge in experience and will fight to the very end, but I do feel this will be a close one.

Stepanek came out on top 76 63 when these two met last Sunday in Düsseldorf. The Czech is one of the big improvers on tour but is just 4-4 this clay season. The big Arthurs serve is somewhat nullified on the dirt, but he has posted some surprising results before and he looks to have the conditions to suit today. He beat Roddick in the opening round here last year and also reached the fourth round in '01.

Nikolay Davydenko 1.10 RUS to bt Greg Rusedski GBR

Hard to see Rusedski getting close here. Davydenko has been one the form players of the year with two titles and a runner-up to Roddick in the St Polten final on Saturday. That most recent performance has left little time to acclimatise to conditions here but he gets a bonus with this draw. Rusedski is playing his first ATP match since undergoing surgery on a foot injury after losing to Sampras at the US Open in August '02.

Gaston Gaudio 1.20 ARG (21) to bt Paul-Henri Mathieu FRA

Few will forget the performance of the Frenchman here last year when he let slip a two sets to love lead over Agassi in the round of sixteen. He carried that form through the year culminating in two tournament wins, but an injury setback this year and a corresponding 1-6 ATP record is not ideal. Gaudio went down to Rios in Düsseldorf on Friday, but he boasts one of the best clay records on tour for '03 so it would be a great surprise if he were to drop this one.

Tim Henman 1.30 GBR (25) to bt Vladimir Voltchkov BLR

The Brit is starting to get back into gear following his injury layoff. Both like faster conditions but Henman should be far too strong.

Fernando Gonzalez 1.14 CHI (19) to bt Jan-Michael Gambill USA

Gonzalez has had two big weeks in Germany, first reaching the quarters of TMS Hamburg then helping Chile to win the the World Team Ch'Ship in Düsseldorf. Don't know if that workload will bode too well come the business end of this tourney but I wouldn't expect Gambill to pose too many problems today.

Jarkko Nieminen 1.28 FIN (30) to bt Nicolas Escude FRA

Escude has not played since he withdrew from a challenger event in late April with a hip injury. Before that he lost to Vicente in the opening round of Monte Carlo as his only ATP match on clay this year. He has not progressed past the first round here in the last three years. Nieminen has been in some fine form coming into this. He has lost to arguably the three form players going around at the moment - Federer, Verkerk and Coria. He reached the third round here last year in his first appearance so I do like his chances today.

OTHER 1st ROUND MATCHES FOR TUESDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Lleyton Hewitt AUS (1) vs. Brian Vahaly USA

- A win over Moya last week in Düsseldorf will give the number one a much needed boost coming into this, but he doesn't have the confidence on clay as he does on other surfaces. Vahaly has lifted his game to another level this year but he is very inexperienced on the clay.

Jonas Bjorkman SWE vs. Max Mirnyi BLR

- Neither have had much success in recent times at Roland Garros - Mirnyi is just 1-4 and Bjorkman is on an 0-5 run, but notably, both have had better success in doubles. The Swede, 1-10 on clay over the past three years, was involved in one losing singles and three losing doubles matches last week in Düsseldorf so it's fair to say he won't be brimming with confidence today. Mirnyi, who has lost to Mamiit and Larsson in the first round here in the past two years, went down to Moya and Federer in the recent TMS events. He also has a 1-5 (0-0 on clay) head-to-head record to overcome.

Giovanni Lapentti ECU (Q) vs. Tommy Robredo ESP (28)

- The younger brother of Nico has advanced to his first main draw Grand Slam. He came through qualies without dropping a set and has been competitive at ATP level this year, but the Spaniard should prove too sharp. Robredo has had a solid season and has taken a liking to conditions here with a 5-2 record in two appearances. 

Olivier Mutis FRA vs. Jerome Golmard FRA

- Mutis returns to RG for the first time since '98. He has been a little inconstant on the dirt this year but he had an excellent clay run on the challengers in '02 so he might have too much for the all too injury prone Golmard. That troublesome back has forced Golmard to retire from four of his six tournaments this year, the latest being at a clay challenger event during the first week of May in the States.

Hicham Arazi MAR vs. Raemon Sluiter NED
- Sluiter prefers faster conditions as evidence by his 2-6 clay season record. Having said that, he did win two clay court challengers in '02 and he comes up against a player with limited preparation. Arazi, who will have fond memories of knocking out Federer in the first round here last year, has not played since retiring from the his opening match in Barca in April with a torn stomach muscle. Very tough.

Marc Rosset SUI vs. Gustavo Kuerten BRA (15)

- Guga has not impressed this clay campaign, but his should be straight forward.

Albert Costa ESP (9) vs. Sergio Roitman ARG (LL)

- The lucky loser Roitman won a hardcourt challenger final against Nadal earlier in the year, but this is a giant step. Should be a comfortable start for the out of sorts defending champion.

Franco Squillari ARG vs. Agustin Calleri ARG (18)

- Calleri has been most impressive this year. He is 27-13 on the season with very good clay form culminating in a runner-up to Coria at the recent TMS Hamburg. Prior to that it has taken the likes of Moya, Ferrero and Gaudio to get past him. Squillari is most certainly capable of an upset here. He leads the head-to-head 2-1, is a past semi finalist at RG and has had a few matches under his belt at the Prague challenger last week.

Arnaud Clement FRA (32) vs. Thomas Enqvist SWE

- Just when the Swede looked to be regaining some form through the U.S. hardcourt swing, it has all gone downhill on the dirt. He has posted losses to Goldstein, Vacek, Hrbaty and Gaudio, Massu and Burgsmuller last week in Düsseldorf. Clement has a 1-3 h-h (all on hard) record to overcome, but on current form - tight three set losses to Costa and Hewitt - he'll have too much.

Lars Burgsmuller GER vs. Mardy Fish USA

- Interesting match-up. Mardy Fish proved that he is the real deal with two wins over Moya in as many weeks to kick off the year. He has since posted respectable losses to the likes of Kuerten, Melzer, Mantilla and Sanchez in the clay lead-up with his only European clay win coming over Santoro in Rome. Burgsmuller notched up a confidence building win over Enqvist last Friday in Düsseldorf and he'll be looking for slow conditions again today. Mardy's edge in the serving department to get him across the line.

Nicolas Coutelot FRA (Q) vs. Davide Sanguinetti ITA

- Sanguinetti is having a very poor year and is just 2-8 on clay over the past two years despite taking Kuerten to five in the second round here last year. Coutelot was a solid 8-10 on clay in '02 but he has not played since retiring from a challenger earlier in the month citing a right leg. The Frenchman if he is fully fit, but there is too much uncertainty for me.

Albert Montanes ESP vs. David Nalbandian ARG (8)

- Montanes comes into this after a runner-up to Schalken in the Prague Challenger but he is still on an 0-5 run on clay at ATP level. He has reached the 3rd round at RG the past two years, but he may find himself outclassed today. Nalbandian leads the head-to-head series 2-0 and is coming off a semi final at TMS Hamburg. He went down to Gonzalez in Düsseldorf on Friday but should have too much. Avoid in the multi's.

Juan Carlos Ferrero ESP (3) vs. Michel Kratochvil SUI

- Nice comfortable opener for the deserved favourite.

Magnus Norman SWE vs. Nicolas Massu CHI

- Norman posted a shock win against Kuerten six weeks ago in Monte Carlo, but he has continued to struggle since returning from hip surgery. Heavy losses to Gonzalez and Schuettler last week won't give the former French Open finalist too much going into this either. He also retired with a back complaint in a dead doubles rubber in Düsseldorf on Friday. Massu has not done too well here in the past and is relatively unproven in the Slams so this could well be a tight one.

Todd Martin USA vs. Jose Acasuso ARG

- Very tough. Acasuso is the natural clay courter but his form and inexperience leaves a little to be desired. He has been on the sharp end of some tough draws, but at just 6-10 on the year, he is rapidly falling down the champions race. Martin posted a win over Corretja and losses to Arthurs and Stepanek last week in Düsseldorf but for mine will need the faster sunny conditions to be a chance.

Felix Mantilla ESP (20) vs. Hyung-Taik Lee KOR

- H-T Lee is far from completely lost on clay. He has improved his race position by over 50 places this year and did take an in-form Calleri to three tight sets in Hamburg. Of course Mantilla, a past semi-finalist here, is in some fine form of his own including a win at Rome earlier in the month, but I don't believe he'll have it all his own way.

Alexander Waske GER (Q) vs. Fernando Vicente ESP

- The big German is a hard worker and the results are starting to show this year. He has qualified for his first French Open with a good win over Phau, but this will be tougher. Vicente has put together another consistent clay season but he has not played since TMS Rome and has been known to make hard work of these matches in the past.

Adrian Voinea ROM vs. Sebastien Grosjean FRA (14)

- Neither are in their best form at the moment. Voinea has the ability to prolong this, but one would have to favour the Frenchman.

Sjeng Schalken NED (12) vs. Scott Draper AUS

- Schalken's win in the final of the Prague challenger on Saturday won't give him much time to prepare for this, but he should prove too consistent for the Aussie battler.

Michael Chang USA vs. Fabrice Santoro FRA

- If the Frenchman can remain standing he'll win this. It's farewell to Chang 14 years after becoming the youngest French Open champ.

Thierry Ascione FRA vs. Albert Portas ESP

- Ascione has some decent challenger and futures results to his credit but Portas, fresh from a few much need match wins in Prague should prevail fairly comfortably.

Julien Varlet FRA (Q) vs. Kenneth Carlsen DEN

- Varlet impressed in qualifying, not dropping a set and taking out the in-form Volandri in the final round. It must be pointed out that the Italian was already guaranteed a spot in the main draw as a lucky loser, but a win is a win. His challenger form is scratchy but Carlsen is just 2-7 here and boasts a shocking Grand Slam record.

Michael Llodra FRA vs. Victor Hanescu ROM (Q)

- Doubles specialist Llodra, 0-3 at his home slam, has reached the final of two clay court TMS events partnering Santoro but his singles record for '03 reads a terrible 0-6. That's not to say he hasn't been competitive, but clay is certainly not his favourite surface. The qualifier Hanescu is much more at home on this surface and his form, including a win over Youzhny in Rome, reads much better.

Sargis Sargsian ARM vs. Andy Roddick USA (6)

- Roddick won his first tourney outside the U.S. on Saturday with a win over Davydenko in St Polten. He has less time to acclimatise to conditions in Paris, so don't expect a cakewalk today. Sargsian has the Grand Slam experience and more importantly the patience to give the A-Rod a run for his money today.

Both are having their French Open debut. Ferrer put a halt to his slump on the dirt with a great win over a tiring Agassi in Rome, but he remains 3-9 on the dirt this year. Melzer is a very respectable 10-8 on clay over the past two years, so despite a loss to Kohlschreiber last week at St Polten he must be rated a big chance today. Both will be looking for faster conditions.

Youzhny has an excellent Grand Slam record apart from his two first round losses here. His clay form this year is quite respectable. Losses to Federer, Hanescu and Coria represent a more than decent formline. Sanchez retired from his semi in St Polten last Friday citing a foot blister, but I'm not convinced that he is playing his best tennis at the moment, blister or not. He tasted success here in his first appearance in '01 when taking out Moya in the second round, but I'm going with the Russian today.

Malisse reached the round of 16 here last year and has not been eliminated in the first round of a slam in his last ten starts dating back to '99, but his form on clay this season (2-4) has been poor. Calatrava cruised through qualies and has been competitive against more highly ranked players here in the past.

El Aynaoui has really dropped off in the last month or two, maybe, just maybe it has something to do with his association with that hack Tarango. Who knows. But this won't be easy. Dupuis reached the quarters at St Polten last week and has been more than competitive in his most recent losses to the likes of Nalbanidan, Vicente and Clement on the clay.

Dick Norman 1.70 BEL to bt John van Lottum NED

Van Lottum, 1-4 at Roland Garros, beat Novak in his only ATP clay court tourney this year, but his most recent challenger form is terrible. Norman comes through quallies without dropping a set, his last win even more significant as he was guaranteed a lucky loser place in the main draw if he lost. The veteran Belgian has been playing more on the clay so I do like his chances today.

Ivan Ljubicic 1.33 CRO to bt Karol Kucera SVK

Kucera is a lowly 0-4 on dirt this year after a very promising start to the season. He has claimed bigger scalps here before, but on current form he looks set to struggle. Ljubicic is yet to win a match in three attempts (all five setters) here but he did impress when reaching the quarters of TMS Rome earlier in the month.

Giorgio Galimberti 1.35 ITA (LL) to bt Ivo Heuberger SUI (LL)

Two qualifying losers get through. Heuberger prefers faster conditions so he will struggle here. Galimberti went down to Savolt in final round quallies with a fair idea that he would still make it to the main draw and with a win at the Rome challenger last month, he looks the one to follow today.

Mark Philippoussis 1.22 AUS to bt Alex Kim USA (Q)

The Scud has dumped 'Macca' but he maintained his excellent '03 form with a win over Federer on the way to the quarters at Hamburg a fortnight ago. Kim qualified without dropping a set but he'll find himself outclassed today.

Mariano Puerta 1.28 ARG to bt Justin Gimelstob USA

Puerta won a clay challenger last month by defeating Nadal so he can't be traveling to badly at all. I do believe the American is here to pick up the 1st round losers cheque.

Stefan Koubek 1.22 AUT to bt Alexander Popp GER

The big German comes here with very little match practice. Koubek for me.

OTHER 1st ROUND MATCHES FOR MONDAY (SELECTIONS IN BOLD)

Roger Federer SUI (5) vs. Luis Horna PER
- Federer has been most impressive in the clay lead-up with a tour best 12-2 record. He's had a few early first round exits in the Slams in recent times, including a straight sets loss to Arazi here last year, so don't count this one as a certainty. Horna is at his first French Open but at 6-7 on the dirt this year, has been holding his own.

Zeljko Krajan CRO vs. Martin Verkerk NED

- The Dutchman is one of the big improvers on the tour this year, lifting his champions race position from 123 to 40, so I'm not going to read too much into the 2-0 head-to-head (both on clay back in '01) advantage that Krajan holds. Verkerk comes off a semi at St Polten and will appreciate the faster conditions here.

Irakli Labadze GEO vs. Vincent Spadea USA (29)

- Labadze has notched up a few wins in the lead up but he has also been thrashed by more highly ranked opponents. Spadea is arguably having a career best season with a 17-11 win/loss record, 5-4 on clay. Losses to Verkerk and Coria int he TMS events are nothing to be too overly concerned about. He has the best-of-five experience to take this one.

Wayne Ferreira RSA (22) vs. Tomas Behrend GER

- Behrend (0-3 here) took Kafelnikov to five sets in the opening round here last year and does have some respectable clay challenger form having won San Remo earlier in the month. He also beat Rios in Dusseldorf last week before losing to Gaudio. Ferreira had a great win over Kuerten in Hamburg and usually saves his best for the Slams.

Jean-Rene Lisnard FRA vs. Mariano Delfino ARG (Q)

- Lisnard is a disappointing 1-4 here, but he should have too much for the Argentinean qualifier. Delfino did final at a clay court challenger in the U.S. earlier in the month, but he is yet to play a match at ATP level, so he may be a little out of his depth today.

Cecil Mamiit USA vs. Rainer Schuettler GER (11)

- Mamiit beat Mirnyi in the first round last year but his clay form at ATP and challenger level is atrocious. Schuettler has been suffering some form of viral compliant in recent times, but he showed enough in Düsseldorf last week to suggest that he'll be right for this.

Jiri Novak CZE (13) vs. Julien Benneteau FRA

- Novak has been struggling to match his stellar '02 performance this year. He posted losses to the likes of Blake, Hewitt and Gonzalez last week in Düsseldorf the same time as posting a confidence building win over Moya. Can't see the French wildcard giving him too much trouble.

Nicolas Mahut FRA vs. Marc Lopez ESP (Q)

- Mahut gets a wildcard into this and coming from futures and challenger level is sure to find this very difficult. Lopez has had three qualifying matches under his belt as has not taken a backward step when he's played the big games in the past.

Taylor Dent USA vs. James Blake USA (24)

- Dent is 0-4 on clay over the past two years at ATP level so this looks out of reach. Blake had a week in Dusseldorf in the lead up and should prove far too strong in these conditions.

Juan Ignacio Chela ARG (31) vs. Cyril Saulnier FRA

- The Argentinean has been a tad inconsistent in the lead-up, but his clay court pedigree will prove too much for the French wildcard. Saulnier qualified for Barca before retiring with a thigh strain against Sanchez. He has only played one match (l. to Hajek) since.

Filippo Volandri ITA (LL) vs. Carlos Moya ESP (4)

- Certainly not the easiest opening round match-up for the out of sorts Spaniard. When I say 'out of sorts', of course I'm referring to a guy that is 19-4 on clay this year, but he has posted recent losses to Kafelnikov and Nadal in the TMS events and also went down to Hewitt and Novak last week in allbeit the slower conditions in Düsseldorf. Volandri is 8-5 on the clay season with some solid wins, but it must be remembered that this is his Grand Slam debut.

Guillermo Coria ARG (7) vs. Andre Sa BRA

- Coria had a week off after his Hamburg win so he should be able to deal with a horribly out of sorts Sa (0-11 on the year) with relative comfort.

Todd Larkham AUS (Q) vs. Nicolas Kiefer GER

- Kiefer is just 1-7 over the past two years on clay at ATP level and his record at Roland Garros reads a miserable 1-6. Larkham meanhile, qualified courtesy of two three set wins and a retirement. He has struggled to perform at ATP level for most of his career so I can only see a fully fit Kiefer prevailing.

Attila Savolt HUN (Q) vs. Andreas Vinciguerra SWE

- The Swede has not played since late February so he comes into this without any match practice whatsoever. The injury prone Savolt has qualified here but failed to get past quallies in Rome and Hamburg. Looks like one to avoid.

Christophe Rochus BEL (Q) vs. Hermes Gamonal CHI (Q)

- Rochus has followed on from his runner-up in Valencia (l. to Ferrero) with a solid qualifying performance here. He gets his chance to advance today after failing at the first hurdle in all four of his previous attempts. Gamonal was a runner-up (l. to Vassallo Arguello) at a recent clay challenger in Slovakia but he might be a little overawed in his first Grand Slam main draw start.

Mariano Zabaleta ARG vs. Feliciano Lopez ESP

- Zabaleta has not performed as well as one might have expected in the last month or two. He started the year fresh with a new coach but he looks to have taken the foot off the pedal just recently. Lopez has also been disappointing lately. He is now just 9-11 on clay the past two years, but if he get the right conditions today he must be rated a show.

Dominik Hrbaty SVK vs. Paradorn Srichaphan THA (10)

- The Thai is still yet to master the clay court style of play. He will appreciate the anticipated faster conditions but with a 4-11 record on dirt in the last three years, he is hard to support today. Hrbaty is a former semi finalist here and he can certainly go the distance.

Alex Corretja ESP (16) vs. Galo Blanco ESP (Q)

- History dictates that there is normally very little between these two. Corretja is claiming a great confidence boost from last week's Düsseldorf matches but I'm not so convinced. He lost to Todd Martin but did notch up tight wins over Stepanek and Arthurs to follow a terrible 2-5 clay season record. Blanco is on an 0-5 Grand Slam run while his form is not the worst going around. Might just be close.

Flavio Saretta BRA vs. Alberto Martin ESP

- Martin has surprisingly never advanced past the 2nd round here and it must be said that his recent form (4-10 on clay in '03) is nothing to write home about. He has lost to the likes of Chela, Massu, Stepanek and Mantilla since reaching the quarters at Monte Carlo. Saretta on the other hand, is 9-7 on clay this year and is coming off two solid wins at St Polten. He also notched up wins over Zabaleta and Gaudio in Valencia.

Julien Boutter FRA vs. Yevgeny Kafelnikov RUS (17)

- Would normally have to give the big-serving Frenchman a chance here, especially given his stunning run (8-1) when winning Casablanca and then reaching the quarters of Monte Carlo, but he retired from Hamburg quallies with an elbow injury and there is just too much uncertainly regarding how it has come up for today's match.

Marcelo Rios CHI vs. Mario Ancic CRO

- Rios had a few matches in Dusseldorf last week (l. to Behrend, Stepanek, d. Gaudio) after resuming from injury but he won't be 100% match fit. Ancic had a couple of solid wins in St Polten last week, but in his first match at Roland Garros, inexperience might prove his downfall today.

Karol Beck SVK vs. Andre Agassi USA (2)

- Agassi is coming into this terribly underdone so don't expect a comprehensive display today. Beck is an emerging talent, but he'll surely be a little overawed by facing u