French Open 2013: 1st-Round Winners Sure to Make a Deep Run at Roland Garros

The French Open isn't won in the first round, but picking up early confidence is key for outside contenders in position to make a deep run at Roland Garros.

For a veteran player like Richard Gasquet, who has hit a wall at the French Open in recent years, a comfortable first-round victory like the one he picked up this year can be the springboard that potentially propels him over the hump.

Here we'll highlight three first-round winners in the men's draw who are sure to make a deep run this summer in Paris.

Nicolas Almagro (11)

A three-time quarter-finalist at the French Open, Nicolas Almagro is off to a strong start in Paris for the second straight year, winning his opening match in four sets. 

He will take on France's Edouard Roger-Vasselin in Round 2.

Almagro will need to clean up a few aspects of his game in order to keep winning at Roland Garros, however, mainly his first serve and the unforced errors. The 27-year-old only connected on 53 percent of his first serves and committed 37 unforced errors total in his first-round victory over Andreas Haider-Maurer.

Still, with no Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer to contend with in his quarter of the draw, Almagro should be a favorite to reach the semifinals at the French Open for the first time in his career.

Gael Monfils

After playing his heart out against fifth-seeded Tomas Berdych on Day 2, winning an epic five-set thriller, Frenchman Gael Monfils looks poised for a deep run in his native country.

The underdog Monfils recorded 26 aces and 66 winners in all. The match took slightly over four hours to complete and featured three tiebreakers.

Monfils reached the semifinals at the 2008 French Open, but hasn't returned since, losing in the quarterfinals in 2009 and 2011. With the French crowds cheering him on from the stands, the 26-year-old certainly won't be lacking motivation or support this summer (via Guardian Sport):

Monfils, who reached the final in a tournament in Nice this past week, will take on Ernests Gulbis in the second round at Roland Garros.

But having already taken out Berdych in the first round, the Frenchman wouldn't have to face a player seeded 11th or higher until the quarterfinals potentially.

Richard Gasquet (7)

Another talented Frenchman looking to play well at his home Slam this summer is Richard Gasquet, who has bowed out in the fourth round at Roland Garros in each of the past two years.

Since reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2007, the 26-year-old has struggled to make another impressive run at a major. He hasn't reached the quarterfinals of a Slam since. 

But after making short work of Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky in Round 1, winning 74 percent of his service points and committing just 13 unforced errors, Gasquet has a ton of momentum in his corner heading into the second round.

Nadal is the highest-seeded player in Gasquet's quarter of the draw, but the two wouldn't meet until the quarterfinals, assuming both can avoid an upset. 

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