One of the many things Memphis is famous for is its barbecue, but it was the first round draw of the Kroger St. Jude that cooked up a treat at the Racquet Club on Friday night.

With the reigning US Open champion, four Memphis singles winners and a host of fast rising American and international stars all coming to the tournament this year, the ingredients were all there for some mouthwatering clashes.

And it's impossible to resist what's on the menu. For starters, two previous Memphis champions go head-to-head in a battle of the generations, as top seed Andy Roddick takes on fellow American Todd Martin. Roddick, the 2002 Memphis winner who went on to finish 2003 as the year-end World No. 1, captured six ATP titles last year including his first Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows.

But the 21-year-old knows he's in for a fight against Martin, the 33-year-old veteran who reached four consecutive Memphis finals between 1993-96, winning twice in '94-95. While Roddick has won two of their three matches, it was Martin who came out on top in their last meeting at the NASDAQ-100 Open in Miami last year. Martin has a 30-8 record in 10 Memphis appearances, while Roddick is 10-2.

If that's not enough to digest, there's the enticing match between defending champion Taylor Dent and fellow American Jan-Michael Gambill. Dent defeated Gambill in the second round en route to the title at the Racquet Club 12 months ago, having won their only previous encounter at Wimbledon in 2002. Dent, who defeated Roddick in the final last year, captured three ATP titles last year, also winning in Bangkok and Moscow during an 11-match winning streak. Gambill, playing in Memphis for the eighth time (11-7 record), produced his best performance in 2002 when he reached the semifinals before losing to James Blake.

Haas Returns

Dent and Gambill find themselves in the same half of the draw as Roddick and Martin, as is former Memphis champion Tommy Haas. The 25-year-old German, who missed the entire 2003 season after undergoing two operations on his shoulder, made his return to action in San Jose last week. Despite losing in the first round against Vincent Spadea, Haas will be happy to return to the place in which he won the title in 1999. He takes on fellow German Alexander Popp in the first round in what will be their first meeting.

In the bottom half of the draw, second seed Mardy Fish will be hoping to continue his impressive form as he faces Frenchman Olivier Mutis in the first round. The 22-year-old Fish, who has a 3-3 record in Memphis having reached the quarterfinals last year (l. to Spadea), is currently in the semifinals of the Siebel Open in San Jose and will meet Andre Agassi there.

Fish is in the same section of the draw as fellow Americans Robby Ginepri - the 22-year-old who helped the U.S. defeat Austria in his Davis Cup debut last week - and James Blake, who reached the Memphis final in 2002 (l. to Roddick). Ginepri, the No. 4 seed and quarterfinalist 12 months ago, opens his campaign against Cyril Saulnier, while Blake, the No. 6 seed, takes on South African Wesley Moodie.

Other names to watch out for on the menu will be rising star Joachim Johansson, the 6'6" giant from Sweden who faces Hyung-Taik Lee, while Dmitry Tursunov, the 21-year-old who caused a sensation when he reached the quarterfinals on his last appearance in Memphis three years ago, who takes on Christophe Rochus.