As the tour winds through the year, the description of “specialist” is used most frequently during  the clay season.  Clearly, players such as Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer and Tommy Robredo come to mind when speaking of exceptional clay-court success. Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and now Andy Murray are certainly greats who excel on all surfaces, including clay.  Despite the reduced abundance of pure clay-court specialists as compared to days gone by, there is a group of lesser-known players who have the potential to become landmines for the favorites. With clay season soon reaching its peak at Roland Garros, these are some of the dangerous competitors who fit this role.

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez

Garcia-Lopez has shown success this spring, winning a title at Bucharest followed by a semifinal run at Estoril. He dismissed players such as Gael Monfils and Kevin Anderson along his path. The Spaniard was only a handful of points short of advancing past Richard Gasquet in the Portugal tournament, which would have produced back-to-back finals appearances on clay. Nonetheless, the 31-year-old has shown the ability to be a difficult conquest for some of the world’s best. For evidence of this, simply rewind to the 2014 version of the French Open, where he defeated then-world No. 3 Stan Wawrinka in four sets. This victory came on the heels of the Australian Open title won by the Swiss native in the season’s first Grand Slam event.

Having trained with former Roland Garros champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, Garcia-Lopez has the maturity, skill, and understanding into the nuances of the surface to provide a legitimate threat on any given day. He will look to duplicate or better his round-of-16 run in Paris last season.

Victor Estrella Burgos

At age 34, Estrella Burgos is another “mature” player who has the skill to lift his game and create difficulties for a higher-ranked opponent on clay. The Dominican has reached his career-best ranking of No. 46 and is playing with a high level of confidence. This spike in self-assurance should be no surprise after Estrella Burgos defeated U. S. Open champion Marin Cilic in straight sets at Barcelona in April.  He has victories under his belt against 12th-ranked Feliciano Lopez along with up-and-comer Dominic Thiem and veteran Viktor Troicki on clay this year. His win against Lopez earned him a title at Quito.

Estrella Burgos is another player who may not appear to be a threat on paper but has the capability to produce an upset on the red dirt that has become so commonplace at Roland Garros. With a career 203-101 record on the surface, he is primed to wreak havoc this spring. It would not be wise to take this veteran lightly despite his age.

Pablo Cuevas

Despite a first-round defeat to Albert Ramos in Madrid, the Uruguayan is capable of battling toe-to-toe with the best on clay. Recently, Grigor Dimitrov felt the sting of the 29-year-old in Istanbul, falling in straight sets. Cuevas has a title on the red clay in Sao Paulo and has battled elite contenders Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal admirably in 2015. With a lifetime record of 377-186 on the surface, he is certainly a player who could be a tough out at Rome and later at Roland Garros.

Recently reaching his career-high singles ranking, the world No. 22 is crafty in mixing together a wide range of shots, including a potent slice used nicely with his big forehand. With all three of his titles coming on this surface, Cuevas is more than comfortable navigating its characteristics. After earning a title and runner-up result on clay in 2015, he is primed to produce an upset in the coming weeks.

Pablo Andujar

In a recent tournament, Andujar showed just how vital it is for an opponent to proceed with caution on clay against him. The Spaniard would defeat Feliciano Lopez, Fabio Fognini, and David Ferrer in order at Barcelona before losing to Kei Nishikori in the final. Despite falling short of the prize, it was an impressive performance by the world No. 43, who served notice that he may be a hazard to the top players who cross his path in Paris.

Underscoring his comfort level on the red clay, the 29-year-old has played in over 600 matches on clay during his career. By contrast, he has fewer than 100 on hard courts during the same period. Andujar has victories against Marin Cilic, Kei Nishikori, and John Isner during his career, highlighting his ability to successfully battle with some of the game’s top performers.

While a deep run in the second major may prove to be unrealistic for these clay specialists, they certainly provide challenges for the game’s best. And although pure clay-court specialists are not as prolific as they once were, there are still some competitors who thrive on the slower, unique bounces provided exclusively by clay.  For these players, the upcoming weeks provide a great opportunity to add a higher-seeded victim to their resumes.