The French Open has had its share of surprises in recent years, especially on the men's side of the draw. Last year, there were seven unseeded men in the round of 16. This year's top three men's seeds -- Lleyton Hewitt, Marat Safin and Tommy Haas -- have never gone past the quarterfinals of this Grand Slam tournament.

	The draw doesn't look good for Pete Sampras, who struggles on clay anyway.

There is the potential for several surprises and numerous competitive matches in the first round of this year's event. The women's draw should have a limited number of shocks in the opening round.

Here is a look at some of the first round matches to watch (in seed order):

Men's draw
Roger Federer (8), Switzerland vs. Hicham Arazi, Morroco
Federer recently won the Tennis Masters Series event in Hamburg (beating Marat Safin in the final). He made the quarterfinals at Roland Garros last year. His first-round opponent has had a rough year so far (posting a losing singles match record), yet the Moroccan seems to fare well in Paris. Arazi is 13-5 in singles at the French Open, including five straight first-round wins.

Pete Sampras (12), United States, vs. Andrea Gaudenzi, Italy
Can Sampras finally break through in Paris? Not likely given a rugged draw. If he can beat the Italian in round one, he has other challenges before the quarterfinals -- a potential matchup against Albert Costa in the third round, followed by seventh-seed Gustavo Kuerten, the two-time defending champion, in the round of 16. Gaudenzi, an early upset victim in an Austrian warm-up event earlier this week, was 14-5 on clay last season. This is clearly his surface; it surely isn't Sampras' favorite.

Andy Roddick (13), United States, vs. Wayne Arthurs, Australia
The hard-serving Australian made the round of 16 at Roland Garros last year, including a first-round surprise over fellow Aussie Patrick Rafter. Arthurs eventually lost to Roger Federer in the round of 16. Roddick has the potential to do some damage in this event, if he can keep his composure and play to his capabilities.

Younes El Aynaoui (16), Morroco, vs. Jan-Michael Gambill, United States
The American has struggled on the clay in Paris in the past, sporting a 2-4 record while never advancing past the second round. The Moroccan is 30-10 in singles this year.

Alex Corretja (18), Spain, vs. Bohdan Ulihrach, Czech Republic
The Spaniard has been runner-up twice at the French Open. Ulihrach is not having a solid year, yet an upset here would help. The Czech Republic product made it to the third round in Paris last year before falling to another Spaniard, up-and-comer Tommy Robredo.

Fabrice Santoro (23), France, vs. Magnus Norman, Sweden
Can both of these players turn back the clock a bit and put on a good match? Norman was the runner-up in Paris in 2000. Injuries have taken their toll.

Nicolas Escude (27), France, vs. Fernando Meligeni, Brazil
You know the fans will be rooting for Escude. Meligeni is only ranked 55th in the world, but he is solid on clay. He reached the semis of the French Open in 1999 and lost to Andre Agassi in four sets in the third round there last year. Ivan Ljubicic (32), Croatia, vs. Fernando Vicente, Spain
Ljubicic moved into a ranked position when 22nd-seed Marcelo Rios withdrew with a knee injury. Vicente made the round of 16 at the French Open in 2000 and played well in a warm-up event prior to the trip to Paris. This would not be a real upset at all since Ljubicic has lost in the first round of this event the past two years.

Women's draw
Serena Williams (3), United States, vs. Martina Sucha, Slovakia
The Slovakian is 39th in the world. Serena should advance, and it is difficult to find many competitive first-round women's matches.

Sandrine Testud (8), France, vs. Paola Suarez, Argentina
Suarez gained confidence with a strong showing at the Madrid Open. She may give fan favorite Testud a challenge.

Silvia Farina Elia (9), Italy, vs. Elena Bovina, Russia,
Bovina made the third round of the French Open last year before losing to Testud in a decent match.

Anna Smashnova (21), Israel, vs. Francesca Schiavone, Italy
Smashnova has been one of the most improved players on the tour this year. Schiavone made the quarterfinals in Paris last year, upsetting Amanda Coetzer along the way before falling to Martina Hingis. The Italian is still in the top 40 despite posting a losing singles match record so far this season.

Howie Schwab is a coordinating producer for ESPN.