PARIS, France - As the clay court season rolls into Roland Garros, questions abound. Can Victoria Azarenka win back-to-back majors? Will Maria Sharapova complete the career slam? Is it time for Serena Williams to return to the winner's circle? Or will this year see another outsider lifting the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen?
All these questions, and more, will be answered over the coming fortnight as the 128-strong draw is whittled down to one.
Arguably the most intriguing storyline of the 105th French Open is Sharapova's quest to master her nemesis - no, not Serena Williams, but terre battue of the French capital - and finally complete her set of Grand Slam trophies.
For someone who once described her own movement on a clay court as reminiscent of "a cow on ice", the World No.2 has looked decidedly sure footed of late - winning two of the three Premier events held on the surface this spring.
However, Roland Garros is a different beast. And to conquer arguably tennis' toughest physical challenge Sharapova will have to negotiate the trickiest of draws. Should she safely clear the first few hurdles, the talented and supremely fit Maria Kirilenko is likely to lie waiting in the last 16, before a mouthwatering potential quarterfinal date with Serena.
Sharapova's hopes of gaining entry into the exclusive career Grand Slam club could well hinge on the outcome this match; Serena is one of the few players able to trade groundstrokes with Sharapova on equal terms and has showed in recent weeks that she is still on top of her game.
In fact, Serena is currently riding high on 17-match winning streak, which has included titles in Madrid and Charleston and one-sided victories over title rivals Sharapova, Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki and Samantha Stosur.
Also in the bottom half is defending champion Li Na, who finds herself in the same quarter as No.4 seed Petra Kvitova. After a slow start to the year, Li appears to be running into form at just the right time, winning 12 of her last 16 matches and coming within a whisker of taking the title last weekend in Rome.
Kvitova, on the other hand, has not been at her best of late and if she fails to find her range in the first week could be susceptible to an early round shock. The Czech, who has never been beyond the last 16 in Paris, starts against wildcard Ashleigh Barty.
With Serena and Sharapova monopolizing the trophies in recent months, World No.1 and top seed Azarenka has slipped under the radar somewhat during the French Open build-up. But despite the lack of fanfare, she is undoubtedly one of the leading contenders, as testified by runner-up finishes in Madrid and Stuttgart.
Azarenka opens up with Alberta Brianti but sterner challenges await with 2010 runner-up Stosur, Dominika Cibulkova and Sabine Lisicki also in her quarter.
Potential semifinal opponent and No.3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska, though, has been given an even tougher route to the title. A relatively straightforward first round against Bojana Jovanovski, could be followed by matches against 2002 finalist Venus Williams, 2009 winner Svetlana Kuznetsova and 2008 winner Ana Ivanovic. Should she get that far, she is seeded to face home hope Marion Bartoli in the quarterfinals.
Other names of note in the draw include 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone, the in-form Angelique Kerber and three-time semifinalist Jelena Jankovic, all of whom have the pedigree to make an impact.
