French Open Tennis 2013: Local Stars Who Will Go Deep into Tournament
One of the biggest storylines over the first few days of the French Open was the success of French players.
A number of local stars either exceeded expectations with upset victories or had extremely easy times in their opening matches. This is certain to carry over into future matches as they look to make a deep run at Roland Garros.
With the great support from the crowd behind them, these French stars should do very well over the next couple of weeks.
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As the No. 7 seed, Richard Gasquet already has high expectations. His first-round victory over Sergiy Stakhovsky did little to reduce those hopes.
He was excellent in defending the serve, winning 48 percent of return points overall. This helped him win six games on the break.
Additionally, he was very aggressive and won 21 of 27 points at the net.
Gasquet could end up having a tough draw if he has to face Stanislas Wawrinka before the quarterfinals. However, the strong play he displayed in the first round should allow him to keep winning until he is forced to play Rafael Nadal later in the event.
Few players on the men's side had an easier time in the first round than Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The No. 6 seed defeated Aljaz Bedene by a score of 6-2, 6-2, 6-3, and his serve was only broken once in the match.
Tsonga was helped greatly by both Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro dropping out of the tournament. The bracket has opened up, and now there is very little competition in the early rounds.
The only real threat for the French star on his side of the draw is Roger Federer. While the veteran is still a tough out, he is not as strong on clay and has certainly lost a step over the years.
It will not be easy, but Tsonga is more than capable of making a run to the semifinals in front of his home crowd.
The best match of the first round ended up being the biggest upset, as Gael Monfils defeated Tomas Berdych in five sets.
After more than four hours and three tiebreaks, Monfils finally earned the victory to knock the No. 5 seed out of the tournament.
While the veteran came into the event unseeded, he has shown plenty of talent over the years, especially on clay. In 2008, he reached the semifinals at Roland Garros. He would have had much more success if he had not dealt with injuries.
However, he looked as strong as ever in beating a very tough opponent in Berdych. Monfils will face another strong opponent in Ernests Gulbis next round, but if he plays like he did in the first round he can certainly make a deep run to the quarterfinals and beyond.
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