Following Friday's women's singles draw, I still believe that the French Open title is Martina Hingis' to lose.

	Monica Seles must overcome several obstacles to win her fourth French Open.

Considering the number of injuries this year and her past disappointments in Paris, it's about time she reigned at Roland Garros. If she doesn't win, the French might be too big of a psychological hurdle for her to overcome in the future.

Here's my breakdown of the women's field now that the draw has been released:

Toughest draw
Monica Seles. Of the top seeds. Seles has the most difficult path to the finals. She plays Croatia's Silvija Talaja, a tough clay-court player, in the first round. If Seles wins, Patty Schnyder will probably be her second-round opponent. In addition, Amelie Mauresmo will be a huge obstacle for Seles in the round of 16. Seles then could face top-seeded Martina Hingis in the semifinals. Lindsay Davenport's draw deserves an honorable mention as the toughest. In the first round, she plays unseeded Dominique Van Roost, who has been seeded in majors the last two or three years. If Davenport beats Van Roost, Davenport would likely face Irina Spirlea, who was a top 10 player three years ago and considered one of the most talented players around. Plus, Davenport's bad back poses a problem.

Easiest road
Martina Hingis. After a tough start against Sabine Appelmans in the first round, the next three names below her in the draw are all qualifiers. Having Julie Halard-Decugis as the next most dangerous player in her draw is an advantage for Hingis. Conchita Martinez also has a decent draw. Anna Kournikova is the seeded player in her round of 16, and Kournikova has been injured with a sprained ankle and an inconsistent performer lately. If Martinez is playing anywhere close to the level she displayed in Berlin, she will be too solid for anyone in her draw. She could play Davenport in the quarters, but it's a meeting that Martinez probably won't mind considering Davenport's questionable health.

Best first-round matches
Monica Seles vs. Silvija Talaja -- The Croatian will test Seles early.

Lindsay Davenport vs. Dominique Van Roost -- Both hit the ball hard and flat. It won't be a typical clay-court match.

Jennifer Capriati vs. Fabiola Zuluaga -- Every matchup for Capriati will be a little awkward, and Zuluaga will give Capriati all she can handle on clay.

Elena Dementieva vs. Nathalie Dechy -- This is the best match of unseeded young talent. They are two bright young stars on the tour. If I were in France, that's the match I would want to see.

Down the road
Round of 16
Monica Seles vs. Amelie Mauresmo -- Mauresmo, playing in her home country, will pose a problem for anyone, including the three-time French champion.

Sandrine Testud vs. Mary Pierce -- Testud would be the beloved French person and Pierce would be the bad girl. This match would have the locals in a frenzy.

Aranxta Sanchez Vicario vs. Barbara Schett -- They played the best match at the Australian Open and have had some fascinating matches the last few years.

Barbara Schwartz vs. Venus Williams -- Schwartz scored one of the biggest upsets of the majors last year when she shocked Venus at the French. They could meet again one year later. Other than the finals last year, this was probably the most memorable match.

Quarters
Monica Seles vs. Mary Pierce -- Being two heavy hitters, it could be a very interesting slugfest to watch.

Venus Williams vs. Aranxta Sanchez Vicario -- Two years ago Serena Williams had the lead in the third against Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, who accused Serena of aiming for her on a putaway. There have been some sparks. It would be a clay-court veteran vs. a young hard-court player.

Semis
Seles vs. Hingis -- This would be a rematch of two years ago, when they met in the semifinals two weeks after Seles lost her father. She upset Hingis. It's one of the handful of haunting losses that Hingis has suffered at the French.

Williams vs. Davenport -- I can't see both of them reaching the semifinals, but if by chance they make it through, that would be a great encounter because Davenport has had trouble against the Williams sisters. If Venus gets to the semifinals, people would start to wonder if she might win her first major.

Injury report
The first week will answer more questions than normal about which of the injuries are significant. When you look at the list of players who recently withdrew from tournaments, some of them pulled out to be extra careful the week before a major. Others were more critical and could affect not only the French Open but Wimbledon as well.

Hingis' foot injury, for instance, seems more minor than major. Davenport's back injury looks to be the type that could be more serious. There should be some concern about whether or not she will be at full strength.

Anna Kournikova's injured ankle, suffered at the German Open a few weeks ago, may cause her problems on the French Open clay. If she heals well and is able to keep up her conditioning, she may be able to hang in there. Ankle injuries are tricky on clay because the footing is difficult anyway.