French Open 2013: Most Dangerous Sleepers Still Alive in Each Draw

In the early going at the 2013 French Open, the favorites to reach the semifinals in both the men's and women’s draws have avoided pitfalls.

Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka are still alive in the tournament at the moment. All three look to be the women to beat this year.

Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, David Ferrer and Roger Federer have all done their part to uphold their place as the top dogs on the men’s side.

That said, there are almost always upstarts who make their marks in the tournament. This year will likely produce its own Cinderella run.

Of the lower-seeded players still alive, I’ve spotlighted three who could reach the semifinals or beyond at Roland Garros.

Stat references from RolandGarros.com

Sabine Lisicki

The 23-year-old German has never had much luck at the French Open. In four appearances, she’s never advanced past the second round.

Why would this year be any different for her? It is simple: the natural progression of a talented young player. That progression will be jump-started by a boost in confidence.

Lisicki has already advanced further than she ever has at Roland Garros. The official Twitter account of Roland Garros knows Lisicki can be a force.

Lisicki’s own Twitter account bares evidence of the hard work she’s put in to make this French Open run a successful one.

Injuries have created inconsistencies in her career, but her talent has never been in doubt. She’s shown flashes of her ability to compete with the best players in the world.

Lisicki has reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon twice and the semifinals once; but she hasn’t sustained that high level of play.

After easily defeating Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor (6-4, 6-0) in the second round, Lisicki is set to take on fifth-seeded Sara Errani in the third round. Errani made the finals at the French Open in 2012, but Lisicki could give her trouble.

The key for Lisicki to beat Errani is attacking the net. Errani is a relentless and active player, but she can’t match Lisicki’s power and length at the net. The two have never played before, but if Lisicki can limit her unforced errors, she has a great chance to pull the upset.

If she gets by Errani, look out; it could very well be the win that vaults her into contention.

Angelique Kerber

This could be a good year at the French Open for female German players. Kerber had her best year in 2012, as she reached the semifinals at Wimbledon and the quarterfinals at Roland Garros.

Her strong play early on would lead you to believe she will have a decent shot at playing well again this year.

Kerber easily handled Jana Cepelova in the second round (6-2, 6-2), and she will face American Varvara Lepchenko in the third round. This is an extremely tough draw for Kerber because she’s never beaten Lepchenko in four tries—including two losses on clay.

Both women are left-handed, and Kerber hasn't adjusted well to Lepchenko’s same-handed style. If she can break through against her nemesis, Kerber could be set up for a deep run.

The eighth-seeded 25-year-old could meet Williams in the quarterfinals, which is a daunting task, but she does own a win over the top seed in her career. Of all the players in Williams’ bracket, Kerber has the best shot at knocking her off.

The match that will dictate whether this year’s French Open has been a success is the third-round tilt with Lepchenko. A loss in the third round would not be consistent with the progress she’s made since last year.

Nicolas Almagro

The 27-year-old Spaniard has been right on the cusp of breaking through three of the last five years at Roland Garros. Something about the odd years have been unkind to him.

In 2008, 2010 and 2012, Almagro reached the quarterfinals. But in 2009 and 2011, he exited in the third and first rounds, respectively.

In the third round he will face Andreas Seppi. Almagro hasn’t beaten Seppi in two tries, but he’s never faced him on clay.

When he’s serving well, Almagro is a very tough out. In his second-round match with Edouard Roger-Vasselin, his strong service game was key.

He won 78 percent of his first serves and had nine aces. If he can emulate that success on his first serve against Seppi, he will win.

If he bests Seppi, a likely quarterfinal meeting with David Ferrer could leave him stalled in the round of eight again. But there is no shame in losing to Ferrer on clay—unless your surname is Nadal.

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