French Open 2013: Players Gaining Key Momentum at Roland Garros

The 2013 French Open is in full swing as second-round action continues on Thursday in Paris.

But while most tennis fans have been dialed in on the top dogs early on at the season's second Grand Slam, a few other contenders have emerged from the pack. 

Below, we'll highlight players who are picking up key momentum in the first week at Roland Garros.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

After taking out Jarkko Nieminen in straight sets on Wednesday, top-ranked Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has to be feeling good about himself heading into the third round in Paris, according to Roland Garros:

The 28-year-old has yet to drop a single set through two matches and looks strong in all aspects of his game. In his second-round win over Nieminen, Tsonga recorded eight aces and 35 winners in all. 

In his opening-round win, Tsonga displayed his brilliant net play, converting on 13 of 17 net points in the straight-sets win over Aljaz Bedene.

Tsonga looks poised to cruise into the quarterfinals for the second straight year. He could potentially play second-seeded Roger Federer at that stage, but Tsonga has defeated Fed in a Grand Slam quarterfinal before, coming back from two sets down at Wimbledon two years ago to shock the Swiss star.

Angelique Kerber

Following a deep run to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in 2012, German star Angelique Kerber is on the winning path again, cruising through the first two rounds of the 2013 French Open.

The 25-year-old wiped out Mona Barthel in straight sets in the opening round and then defeated Jana Cepelova in Round 2 on Wednesday. Kerber was strong in the second-round victory, winning 65 percent of her receiving points and committing just 18 unforced errors.

So long as Kerber continues to play mistake-free tennis, she should navigate her way to the quarterfinals of the women's draw. Unfortunately, she's in Serena Williams' quarter of the bracket.

Kerber will face off against the 29th-seeded Varvara Lepchenko in the third round. 

David Ferrer

With Tomas Berdych going out in the first round, the door is open for David Ferrer to reach the semifinals of the French Open for the second consecutive year.

The 31-year-old Spaniard is on fire to start the tournament, winning both his first- and second-round matches in straight sets. In his second-round win over compatriot Albert Montanes, Ferrer smashed 29 winners and committed just 21 unforced errors.

With Roger Federer on his half of the draw, Ferrer wouldn't need to get past Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal in order to make his first-ever Grand Slam final appearance at Roland Garros this summer.

Ferrer will play another countryman in Round 3 when he battles Feliciano Lopez.

Benoit Paire

Another Frenchman playing well in Paris this summer is 24th-seeded Benoit Paire.

Paire has reached the second round of the French Open for the second straight year, but he will look to make his first career appearance in the third round in 2013. He'll take on Lukasz Kubot in the second round.

The 24-year-old has tons of momentum on his side heading into the next round, though, storming back to win the final three sets after dropping the first to Marcos Baghdatis. 

Although Paire committed nearly twice as many unforced errors as Baghdatis, he recorded an impressive 68 winners to Baghdatis' 25. Eight of Paire's winners were aces—a sign that the emerging French star is playing with confidence early on.

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