Andy Roddick is likely to be the main beneficiary of the late withdrawal of world number one Roger Federer from the Rome Masters with a foot injury.
Roddick has traditionally struggled on clay, a surface that saps the power from his huge first serve, and his best result in Rome is reaching the semi-finals in 2002.
Last year's tournament holds bad memories for the American as his opening match defeat by Guillermo Canas was his only first-round exit of 2004.
This year, however, he arrives on the back of victory in Houston - his only claycourt event of the year so far - and he will be confident of beating his opening round opponent, Greg Rusedski, another big server neutered by clay.
The only serious threat to Roddick, the top seed, claiming a place in the last eight looks to be a possible second-round match against former French Open champion Alberto Costa.
Australian Open champion Marat Safin, French Open champion Gaston Gaudio and Tim Henman are the other top seeds and none of them have made it past the third round here.
Henman seems most at risk of an early exit. The Briton has a tough first-round match with three-times French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten, on the comeback trail after hip surgery.
If past form in this French Open warm-up is anything to go by, the winner of the title will be Spanish.
Spain's slow court specialists have won three of the last four Rome tournaments - Juan Carlos Ferrero triumphed in 2001 followed by Felix Mantilla in 2003 and Carlos Moya last year.
Of this trio, only Moya is back this year but the meteoric rise of 19-year-old compatriot Rafael Nadal means Spain have another serious contender.
Nadal claimed his first ATP title barely a year ago. Of the six claycourt tournaments he has played this year, Nadal has won four including last month's Master Series event in Monte Carlo where he crushed Gaudio 6-3, 6-0 in the quarter-finals.
"Nadal is definitely up there and playing great on clay," said Roddick on Saturday.
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