French Open 2013: Most Intriguing Matchups Set For Round 2

After two days of action of the French Open at Roland Garros, the second round is still being determined. That said, there are some interesting matchups already set for Round 2. 

Most of the top seeds in the both the men's and women's tourneys have escaped the first round, but there were a few surprising departures in the early going. 

Top players like Tomas Berdych and Nadia Petrova were surprisingly ousted, while others like Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, David Ferrer and Serena Williams cruised through their first-round matches.

Here are the most intriguing matchups set for the second round.

Zuzana Kucova vs. Virginie Razzano

You may not know these two names, but one of these women will be heading to Round 3 to face the winner of the matchup between Ana Ivanovic (14) and Mathilde Johansson.

Kucova has only participated in one French Open before this year's tournament and didn't make it out of the first round in her sole attempt.

She also has never been ranked in the top-100, and according to Douglas Robson of USA Today, she was "basically retired" before this year's French Open:

According to her official profile on RolandGarros.com, Kucova is ranked No. 1,152 in the current 52-week rankings for women's singles. 

Razzano, on the other hand, is an old hat at Roland Garros, participating in her 15th French Open. She is currently ranked No. 178, however, and has never made it out of the fourth round in any Grand Slam tournament. 

No matter who wins, it's going to be a big deal. That said, should Kucova find a way to make it into the third round, it will be a huge story. She could potentially become one of the biggest Cinderella stories in years at Roland Garros. 

Ernests Gulbis vs. Gael Monfils

Monfils stunned fifth-seeded Berdych on Monday, outlasting him in an epic five-set match that took over four hours to complete. 

He won the match 7(10)-6(8), 6-4, 6(3)-7(7), 6(4)-7(7), 7-5, in sensational fashion, and as Roland Garros showed, fans outside the stadium were glued to the big screens watching the action:

Monfils has reached the quarterfinals twice and semifinals once in the past five years, and he could be set up for another deep run this year. 

Standing in his way will be Gulbis, who has played well at times (including a win at Delray Beach). Gulbis has also recently played Rafael Nadal tough in Rome, where he took a set from Nadal before losing in the Round of 16. 

Both players have the game to defeat whoever comes out on the other side, whether it's Igor Sijsling or Tommy Robredo. 

Rafael Nadal vs. Martin Klizan

Nobody honestly expects Klizan to defeat Nadal, but after Nadal's shaky start against Germany's Daniel Brands in Round 1, this is a match worth watching. 

Brands—a man who has never before reached a finals in any ATP tournament—beat Nadal in the first set and nearly won a second. In the end, Nadal won the match, 4-6, 7(7)-6(4), 6-4, 6-3. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the 19 games that he lost were a mark he didn't hit until after four rounds a year ago.

Klizan moved on to the second round after Michael Russell was forced to retire. He lost the first set, 5-6, but came back to win the next two sets, 6-3, 6-1 before Russell bowed out. 

Klizan is ranked No. 35 in the world, but his best finish at Roland Garros came in his only attempt—a second-round exit last year. It's not likely that he'll find much success against Nadal in Round 2, but if he does, it'll be one of the biggest stories of the tournament.

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