French Open 2013: Intriguing Matchups to Watch on Second Day of Action

It's easy to expect players such as Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova to win during Round 1 of the 2013 French Open.

Therefore, redirecting attention to the more intriguing matchups is what makes the entire Roland Garros so appealing. Upsets happen, but when a potential sleeping contender only edges by a lower-ranked challenger the suspense is invigorating.

This is what the French Open offers on Monday, as evidenced by the following showdowns for Day 2's action.

Note: View full Day 2 schedule at RolandGarros.com.

Caroline Wozniacki (10) vs. Laura Robson

Caroline Wozniacki faces a major challenge to open her 2013 Roland Garros.

Laura Robson enters the game after collecting wins over Venus Williams and Agnieszka Radwanska in consecutive tournaments. Plus, she defeated Petra Kvitova during the Australian Open.

In addition, Wozniacki has not been playing well of late.

With four consecutive first-match eliminations, Wozniacki's last victory came over Silvia Soler-Espinosa during Round 2 of Charleston: Next match, Andrea Petkovic withdrew.

Robson also possess the power and tenacity to outlast Wozniacki on clay. She has simply performed better on the surface and brings the serve to get ahead quickly.

Juan Monaco (17) vs. Daniel Gimeno-Traver

Juan Monaco ranks No. 17 in the ATP, but he has been inconsistent of late against lower-ranked challengers.

Kevin Anderson of South Africa and Benoit Paire are two such players that have knocked Monaco out. Not to mention his lone impressive victory came over Janko Tipsarevic before falling to Anderson.

His Round 1 opponent, Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain, ranks much lower at No. 49 but holds a formidable resume by comparison. For one, he defeated No. 9-ranked Richard Gasquet in Madrid.

Back track further and Gimeno had Tomas Berdych on the brink in Miami.

Although it's difficult to imagine either competitor reaching the semifinals, each possesses the talent to challenge for the quarterfinals. Their section of the bracket isn't extensively overbearing, which could result in an upset of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to reach the quarterfinals.

Julien Benneteau (30) vs. Ricardas Berankis

Julien Benneteau is one sleeping contender because of impressive wins against Roger Federer and Gilles Simon in straight sets/consecutive matches in Rotterdam.

On the contrary, though, Benneteau has failed to equal that performance versus top talent leading into Roland Garros. Despite a victory over Nicolas Almagro of Spain in Italy, he lost out to countryman Benoit Paire directly after.

So, it simply depends on whether Ricardas Berankis will face Benneteau's A-game or not.

That said, Berankis does have sound wins against Germany's Florian Mayer (Australian Open) and Tommy Haas (Houston). Berankis is also nine years younger than Benneteau, so he'll need to push the pace and wear the Frenchman down.

Regardless of the victor, however, the man to advance becomes one round closer to a potential matchup versus Federer: And although the Swiss remains elite, he's more vulnerable now than ever before.