Players to Watch at Roland Garros Samantha Stosur (No. 9 seed) Stosur's high-bouncing kick serve, coupled with her powerful topspin forehand, make a lethal one-two punch that is ideally suited to the red clay courts at Roland Garros. She has come close to winning the French Open title, reaching the final in 2010 and the semifinals last year, and she appears to be rounding into good form after a strong quarterfinal showing in Rome, where she lost a tight three-setter to Victoria Azarenka. Stosur is a confidence player; if she gains momentum in the early rounds, she has the weapons and the experience to win the title. Ana Ivanovic (No. 14 seed) The expectations that came with winning the French Open in 2008 weighed heavily on Ivanovic, and in the ensuing years she suffered more than one humiliating defeat in Grand Slams as her confidence and winning form dwindled. Ivanovic was written off as more of a stylish pretender than a serious contender, but she has continued to inch her way back up the rankings. Under the tutelage of the veteran coach Nigel Sears, Ivanovic has become a much better competitor, relying less on sheer ball-striking prowess and more on how to battle for every point. Her three-set quarterfinal loss to Maria Sharapova in Stuttgart was a prizefight of a match, with Ivanovic narrowly missing the upset. She advanced to the semifinals in Madrid, again losing to Sharapova. But her straight set demolition of Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinals was a nearly flawless performance. With her powerful first serve and flat forehand, Ivanovic has the game to go deep into the second week. Sabine Lisicki (No. 32 seed) Lisicki's ranking climbed just high enough for her to be seeded at Roland Garros, and a collective sigh of relief was heard from her higher-ranked peers. Injuries throughout her career have kept Lisicki out of the top 10, but her big serving and powerful ground game make her a legitimate threat to go deep into the second week. Although her best Grand Slam results have been at Wimbledon, where she reached the quarterfinals in 2009 and 2012 and the semifinals in 2011, Lisicki could be ready to make a breakthrough at Roland Garros. In addition to her technically sound ground strokes, which she hits with tremendous pace, Lisicki possesses deft touch. David Ferrer (No. 4 seed) The rap on Ferrer is that he can not beat the Big Three, but he has played two spellbinding matches against his countryman and nemesis Rafael Nadal, winning the first set in Madrid and again in Rome before succumbing. At 31, the indefatigable Ferrer has transformed from a tireless baseline retriever into a more offensive ball striker with an uncanny sense of when to change tactics. The best-of-five set format favors Ferrer, whose mental toughness and superb physical conditioning make him one of the toughest outs in tennis. With Andy Murray out with a back injury, Ferrer will move up to be the fourth seed, which means he would not face Djokovic, Federer, or Nadal until the semifinals. Stanislas Wawrinka (No. 9 seed) Wawrinka's epic five-setter against the eventual champion Novak Djokovic was the match of Australian Open this year, and Wawrinka comes to Roland Garros with a lot of confidence after a superb clay-court season. He overpowered David Ferrer in the finals of the Portugal Open, then reached the finals in Madrid by beating Grigor Dimitrov, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Tomas Berdych before losing to Rafael Nadal. With his sublime, old-school one-handed backhand, Wawrinka has the ability to play patient, grinding baseline tennis, but what sets him apart is his ability to hit with stunning power off of both sides. Wawrinka recently hired Magnus Norman, the former world No. 2 and 2000 French Open finalist, to coach him on a trial basis. Norman coached Robin Soderling in 2009 and 2010, when the powerful Swede reached successive finals at Roland Garros. Benoit Paire (No. 24 seed) A surprise semifinalist in Rome last week, the rapidly improving Paire combines a powerful serve with quirky but effective ground strokes. He beat Juan Monaco, Julien Benneteau, Juan Martin Del Potro and Marcel Granollers, all accomplished clay-court players, before running out of nerve against Roger Federer in the semifinals. Paire leavens his bone-crushing power with deft drop shot-lob combinations, but his two-handed backhand is his weapon of choice. Paire generates pace with astonishing ease, taking the ball early and confounding opponents with his unpredictable and bold shot selection. Nicknamed "Le Tige" (The Stalk) for his height and slender frame, Paire is a dangerous floater capable of an upset.