Nine-time champion Rafael Nadal and top seeds Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams target places in the French Open third round on Thursday.

Nadal faces Nicolas Almagro boasting a 12-1 career advantage over his fellow Spaniard but wary of the danger posed by a man who beat him on clay in Barcelona only last year.

World No 1 Djokovic tackles Luxembourg's 55th-ranked Gilles Muller who he defeated in their only previous meeting at the Australian Open in January this year as the Serb went on to claim a fifth title in Melboune.

Djokovic is seeking a first French Open title which would make him just the eighth man to complete the career Grand Slam.

Britain's third seed Andy Murray, twice a semifinalist in Paris, faces Portugal's Joao Sousa defending a 5-0 career record.

However, all of those meetings came on hard courts.

Women's top seed Serena Williams, a two-time champion, should have few problems against Anna-Lena Friedsam, the world number 105 player from Germany.

The two women have never met before.

French Open order of play on showcourts on Thursday, the fifth day of the 2015 tournament at Roland Garros.

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