French Open 2013 Results: Analyzing Men's Players Whose Stock Is Rising

The 2013 French Open is still in the early going, but during the fourth day of action at Roland Garros, several players in the men's draw had standout performances in the second round. These showcases have their respective stocks rising as the year's second Grand Slam tournament progresses.

Roger Federer headlined with his breezy straight-sets triumph, but other top seeds who took the court on Wednesday were impressive in their own right.

Below is an analysis of yet another example of Federer's brilliance, as well as the other top players who flashed encouraging signs.

*Click here for complete results from Day 4 (h/t RolandGarros.com).

No. 2 Roger Federer

The relatively resistance-free 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 triumph over Somdev Devvarman took less than an hour and a half, as Federer appears poised to make a significant push for his second French Open title.

As Greg Garber of ESPN points out, Federer will set a new record with 59 victories at Roland Garros as long as he makes it to the semifinals—something he's done in seven of the past eight years.

Tony Tharakan of Reuters documented what Devvarman had to say afterward about how helpless he felt against the machine-like precision of the 17-time Grand Slam champion:

Perhaps that's hyperbole, but it's a testament to what lengths Federer's befuddled opponents will go to explain what happened when they faced arguably the greatest tennis player in history.

Federer was on the attack throughout, crashing toward the net 30 times and besting Devvarman in winners by a whopping 54-12 margin. Nearly every time that Devvarman had a decent answer, the counter-punch from Federer was stronger.

Now it's time for Federer to face Julien Benneteau, a Frenchman who will have local support and who has beaten Federer twice before. With the way King Roger is playing and Benneteau coming off a five-setter in Round 2, though, an upset isn't likely.

No. 4 David Ferrer

Besides Ferrer's Spanish compatriot, King of Clay and seven-time French Open winner Rafael Nadal, not many players come to mind who sport better overall fitness.

With the ability to get to nearly any ball and endurance that is second to nearly no one, Ferrer is a threat not only in winning points he shouldn't, but also in extended rallies on the slower clay surface.

That latter strength was on display in his 6-2, 6-1, 6-3 triumph over Albert Montanes, who pushed Ferrer into extended rallies that he routinely won. Montanes entered having won the Nice Open, but was demolished in this matchup.

The only element separating Ferrer from his elite peers such as Federer, Nadal, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray is firepower. There isn't quite enough velocity on his shots, and Ferrer doesn't quite have the natural gifts to compete with those players on a consistent basis.

That's not to take anything away from his strong current form, though, nor is it a knock on his stellar career. Had he been more fortunate in not playing in this era, he might have far more individual accolades.

Ferrer's path isn't too arduous to return to the semifinals for the second year in a row, but he'll likely face Federer, whom he's 0-15 against lifetime. Until then, the Spaniard's stock is soaring.

No. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

It could have been a familiar pitfall for the talented Tsonga on Wednesday. Against an inferior opponent in Jarkko Nieminen, the sixth seed found himself in a first-set tiebreaker.

Instead of sulking and watching his play sink, the France native took charge and ground out an 8-6 victory in the tiebreak, then proceeded to roll through the next two sets, 6-4, 6-3. That marked the third time in five completed matches that Tsonga disposed of the resilient Finn, according to Kate Battersby of RolandGarros.com.

Tsonga has all the talent in the world, but hasn't quite had the fortitude to close the deal in one of the four major tournaments. Again, he's competing against several surefire Hall of Famers, but it makes him more difficult to predict.

What is positive is that Tsonga had his best performance at Roland Garros in 2012, reaching the quarterfinals before falling to Djokovic and failing to capitalize on four fourth-set match points.

Tsonga also seems to be in a positive frame of mind, per Live Tennis on Twitter:

Perhaps it will be a different story this time around if Tsonga builds on the positives of that experience and maintains the form he showed for the majority of the second round.

Note: Head-to-head numbers were obtained from MatchStat.com. Other statistics and information are courtesy of ATPWorldTour.com.