French Open 2012: Biggest Sleepers Still Alive at Roland Garros
Any man not named Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer is considered a sleeper in a Grand Slam event. The three men have absolutely owned the sport for nearly a decade now and have every reason to be considered the favorite each and every time they take the court.
As for the women, well, their bracket is as wide open as wide open can be.
So with that in mind, here's a look at the biggest sleepers still alive at Roland Garros.
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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (No. 5)
The heavy-hitting Frenchman cruised into the fourth round and has won all but two sets thus far. Consistency is, at times, his problem, and this ties the deepest he's ever been at Roland Garros.
He'll have to tangle with Djokovic should he advance to the quarterfinals, but he's defeated the world's No. 1 before.
We can't discount him from making something surprising happen.
Tomas Berdych (No. 7)
The Czech tennis star has also advanced to the fourth round and hadn't lost a set until going the distance against Kevin Anderson yesterday.
He'll have his hands full regardless of who is there should he advance to the quarterfinals, but we know that anything can happen.
He made it to the quarters in the Australian Open earlier this year and reached the semifinal at Roland Garros in 2010.
Svetlana Kuznetsova (No. 26)
The 2009 French Open champion dominated third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska in straight sets yesterday to land herself in the fourth round.
A two-time Grand Slam winner, the 26-year-old Russian could easily surprise higher-seeded foes the way she did Radwanska.
Petra Martic
The unseeded Croation has already gone deeper into a Grand Slam than she's ever been before. Her straight sets victory over Anabel Medina Garrigues yesterday advanced her to the fourth round.
In the second round she dispatched eighth-seeded Marion Bartoli, a semifinalist at Roland Garros last year.
This 21-year-old is proving to be mighty dangerous and should she keep up her play, and Kuznetsova does the same, they'll eventually have to battle each other in the semifinal.
