PARIS -- The draw before a tennis tournament is largely pomp, circumstance and a lot of cheesy smiles for the cameras. Or is that redundant? Christian Bimes, the dapper president of the French Tennis Federation, offered all of the above in copious amounts on Friday as the field for the Internationaux de France 2003 was set.

And yet, deep within the hype and the incessant flashing of photographer's lights, there was an actual moment of significance:

When Michael Chang reached his skilled right hand into the sterling men's trophy and pulled out a token engraved with No. 4, he changed the course of history. Rather, his choice may lead to another piece of history. By drawing out the chip belonging to No. 4 seed Justine Henin-Hardenne first, Chang sent the Belgian into the top half (haut) of the draw. That guaranteed that No. 3 seed, Venus Williams, was placed in the bottom half (bas), meaning she will avoid her sister, No. 1 seed Serena Williams until the finals, provided they both last that long.

Thus, the Williams sisters could meet in their fifth consecutive Grand Slam singles final, if they win each of their first six matches. Serena has won the past four championship finals, going back to last year's French Open. Serena dispatched Venus in straight sets at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open but this year's Australian Open was a gnarly three-setter that Serena won when Venus committed four straight errors in the final game of a 6-4 set.

It could be the sixth overall Grand Slam final for the Williams; Venus prevailed in the 2001 U.S. Open.

Serena Williams meets Barbara Rittner of Germany in the first round. Venus draws a qualifier to be named later.

Assuming the seedings hold, Serena Williams would meet Henin-Hardenne in one semifinal and Venus Williams would face the other top Belgian, Kim Clijsters.

The news from the men's side was bad if you are a fan of top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt. If you aren't a fan -- and there are more than a few Hewitt haters out there -- there is cause for rejoice.

Hewitt was extended to three sets in his first two matches last week in Hamburg before exiting in the third round at the hands of Fernando Gonzalez. He is not a clay-court wizard, but he is the No. 1-ranked player in the world. He remains a ruthless baseliner with breathtaking quickness and the mental toughness that won him the 2001 U.S. Open and Wimbledon in 2002. The path at this, the most grueling of Grand Slam tournaments, will be particularly difficult.

The Australian's first-round opponent is American Brian Vahaly -- no easy draw. If he wins, Hewitt is looking at Russia's Nikolay Davydenko, the highest-ranked player (No. 33) who didn't receive one of the 32 seeds. The potential fourth-round match? Only three-time champion, Gustavo Kuerten. Even if Hewitt somehow survives all that, in the semifinals he's looking at No. 3 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero, the favorite in most people's minds because he's reached at least the semis in all three of his appearances here.

The other projected men's semi: Agassi vs. 1998 French Open champion Carlos Moya, the No. 4 seed. As silly as the draw ceremony is, there is a certain giddiness that creeps in as the matrix is revealed, or in this case, reloaded. A few observations, concerning the simple messieurs (men's singles) and simple dames (women's singles):

Operation Freedom
While the coalition of American women represents five of the top eight seeds, there is a widespread feeling here that only the Williams sisters are truly capable of winning. After Serena (No.1) and Venus (No. 3), consider the other three: Lindsay Davenport (No. 6), Jennifer Capriati (No. 7) and Chanda Rubin (No. 8). Monica Seles, who won this event three times in a row (1990-92), has slipped recently and is seeded No. 12.

Fortuitous positioning
Both Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi have favorable draws that could lead to prolonged life here at Roland Garros.

Agassi should sail all the way into the quarterfinals, where he would play No. 7 seed Guillermo Coria. The 21-year-old Argentinian is a huge fan of Agassi's -- he looked nervous on Friday practicing with him -- and coming off a big win in Hamburg, which elevated his ATP Champions Race position to No. 5.

Roddick has a cupcake draw. Sargis Sargsian? Michael Llodra? Sjeng Schalken? He should win his way through to the quarterfinals, where he would run into Ferrero.

France vs. France
The highest-seeded woman not named Williams or of Belgian extraction is one Amelie Mauresmo, at No. 5. A ripple went through the tres French crowd at the draw when Mauresmo, the pride of St. Germains en Laye, France, was paired with fellow Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano. Mauresmo has struggled at her home Grand Slam, posting a 9-8 record and reaching only the fourth round twice, a year ago and in 2000. Once the tournament opens, all eyes will be on Mauresmo, who is featured on the cover of the current Roland Garros magazine.

Don't cry for Argentina
The Argentinian men, "The Gauchos," are all over this tournament. There are four players seeded among the top 21 -- Coria (No. 7), David Nalbandian (No. 8), Agustin Calleri (No. 18) and Gaston Gaudio (No. 21). Coria has now reached two finals (Monte Carlo and Hamburg) in the last month and has a 27-9 record overall. Nalbandian was the runner-up at Wimbledon last year in his first appearance there. All four Argentinians reached the semis in Hamburg last week, the first time ever for a Tennis Master Series event.

"It's very important for tennis in Argentina," Coria said after winning at Hamburg. "The economic situation is bad in Argentina, so maybe the junior players don't get a chance to travel and fulfill their talent. They don't have the opportunity. So maybe if we keep winning, we keep the door open for them."

Sleight of hand
As the featured guest in the draw ceremony, Chang got to draw his own name out of the hat, as it were. He then pretended to cover his eyes as he pulled the name of France's Fabrice Santoro -- literally, his hand-picked opponent. The match will be heavily anticipated here, to be played probably on the Philippe Chatrier or Suzanne Lenglen courts.

Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.