Juan Martin Del Potro
Ninth seed Juan Martin Del Potro got the better of his French Open first-round opponent, Albert Montanes, in straight sets, when the pair last met in Estoril last month. Reuters

When and where: Day one action at the French Open gets underway from Paris at 5 a.m. ET. TV coverage will be provided by ESPN2, with the Tennis Channel taking over the reins at 10 a.m. A live stream of several courts will be available throughout the day via ESPN3.

Preview: Though the truly elite names may not be in action, there is still plenty to watch out for on day one of the French Open. The start to any grand slam is, as ever, highly anticipated and Roland Garros always provides a unique and demanding test for the players.

American eyes will be fixed firmly on Andy Roddick as he gets his campaign in Paris underway in the last match of the day on Suzanne Lenglen. To say that the former US Open winner comes into the tournament with low expectations would be something of an understatement.

The 29-year-old has played just one event on clay this year, losing all three matches in the World Team Championship in Dusseldorf, Germany, last week. And up against French marathon man Nicolas Mahut, Roddick could be heading home at the earliest opportunity. Although the pair have never met on the dirt, Roddick will take some confidence from his 4-0 head-to-head record against the world No. 89.

The U.S. also has a big name in action on the opening day in the women's event, with Venus Williams talking on Argentine teenager Paula Ormaechea. Williams will also be flying under the radar in Paris as she continues to fight back against her auto-immune disease.

As well as Venus's debut this year, Phillipe Chatrier also provides a first look at two players hopeful of making a deep run into the draw. Former US Open winner Juan Martin Del Potro is back inside the top ten and will have been buoyed by victory in Estoril and a semi-final showing in Madrid during the clay-court swing. The Argentine takes on veteran clay-court specialist Albert Montanes.

And following that clash, France's best hope for a men's contender, Jo-Wilfired Tsonga hits the court. The fifth seed has had a disappointing clay-court season so far, though, and will be looking to build some momentum in his first-round clash with qualifier Andrey Kuznetsov.

Back in the women's draw, one name with the potential to make a real spalsh at this French Open is Angelique Kerber. A surprise semi-finalist at last year's US Open, the German broke into the top 10 for the first time just a week ago following s strong semi-final showing in Rome. She begins her tournament against China's Shuai Zhang, second up on Court 1.