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2012 US OPEN: Tsonga Takes Out Beck In Straight Sets, Advances To Second Round
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
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Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga celebrates advancing to 2012 US Open second round. |
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga screamed to the blue heavens and pumped his signature double bicep curl, complete with thumbs pointing towards elated eyes as the gallery, solidly behind him, whooped in delight. The charismatic Frenchman completed his first US Open match of 2012 with a dominance fitting his career-best no. 5 seed, ousting Slovakian qualifier Karol Beck 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (2) to advance to the second round.
"I think I played good tennis the first two sets, and after that I lost a bit concentration at the beginning of the third set," said Tsonga. "Then I came back, and, you know, I did some effort to come back. It was not easy today because the weather was hot. I'm happy to go through this round really quickly."
Tsonga blended a sharp, booming forehand with nifty net play throughout, running Beck around the sunlit Grandstand. The drop shots fell early and often, as Tsonga won the point on 22 of 27 (81 percent) net approaches.
"He was moving really well," said Beck of Tsonga. "It was a tough draw, a tough player for the first round. I was trying to play more to his backhand and I thought it was going well in the third set, but you have to be better than playing your 100-percent best to beat someone like him."
Beck finally broke Tsonga early in the third set, trading service games through 5-4 and Beck serving for the set when Tsonga showed resolve, breaking back. Serving to go up 6-5, he swept all the points, punctuated by a 130 mile-per-hour ace, his thirteenth and final one of the match. Beck held serve and the two went to a tiebreak, where Tsonga finished things quickly, leading to his signature celebratory salute.
Up next for the 27-year-old will be another unranked Slovak, left-handed Martin Klizan, who defeated Colombia’s Alejandro Falla 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 on Monday for his first-ever US Open main draw victory. The two have never met as professionals.
Since Tsonga’s Wimbledon upset of 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, Tsonga’s has placed quarterfinals-or-better in four of five majors, including his longest trek in New York in 2011 where he defeated No. 19 Fernando Verdasco and No. 8 Mardy Fish before losing to Federer in the quarters. Should he reach the same round in 2012, it's likely that Olympic gold medalist Andy Murray will be waiting. The two have had their share of stellar matchups in the Slams, most recently a tough four-setter in July at Wimbledon won by Murray 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
Source: usopen.org
Photos by Getty Images
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Posted by Shelia at 5:54 PM Labels: 2012 Olympics, 2012 US Open, Alejandro Falla, Fernando Verdasco, Frenchman, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Karol Beck, Mardy Fish, Slovakia, Wimbledon Email this post
2011 U.S. OPEN WEEKEND UPDATE: The Tsonga, Serena and Young Trains Roll On ... Blake And Stephens Derailed
Monday, September 5, 2011
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, France
Jo-Willie Tsonga, the No. 11 seed, imposed his bigger, higher-risk game on Fernando Verdasco and triumphed convincingly in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4, in a marquee matchup of two sluggers known for their aesthetically pleasing, but also bruising, tennis.
The early Saturday evening match was technically the last of the day session, beginning roughly the same time as the Ashe night session, and day ticketholders packed the Grandstand to overflow, with lines stretching around the block to get in.
Surely, though, this will be Tsonga’s last match on Grandstand; next up, in the Round of 16, he plays the red-hot American Mardy Fish.
Serena Williams, USA
Despite her No. 28 seed, Serena came in as the consensus favorite and proved to be just that, dropping only three games in her first two matches against Serbia’s Bojana Jovanovski and the Netherlands’ Michaella Krajicek, respectively. In the third round, the 29-year-old three-time Open champion looked poised to take a fourth, knocking out the No. 4 seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, 6-1, 7-6(5) on Saturday.
Next up, Serena will face No. 16 seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, the 2008 French Open champ, who has also breezed through her matches in straight sets. The road from there should only get tougher as five top-10 seeds remain: No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, No. 2 Vera Zvonareva, No. 7 Francesca Schiavone, No. 9 Samantha Stosur and No. 10 Andrea Petkovic.
Donald Young, USA
In front of a boisterous and supportive crowd on Sunday, American Donald Young defeated the No. 24 seed Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. Young played smart, gritty tennis, matching Chela’s consistent baseline game when he needed to and employing more offensive firepower than his higher-ranked opponent. Young hit 46 winners to Chela’s 19, and converted on five of 10 break point opportunities to take a hard-fought 7-5, 6-4, 6-3 win.
This latest upset for the No. 84-ranked Young continues a roll like no other he's had in the pros. His three wins here equal the number of Grand Slam victories he’s had in his entire career, having won two matches at the 2007 US Open and one match at the 2010 Australian Open. It follows on the heels of his second round win over the No. 14 seed Stanislas Wawrinka, a match that saw Young score the first five-set victory of his career. His ranking had fallen to No. 146 as recently as this past February, but Young came into the Open with the highest ranking he's had since May of 2008, and after this tournament it will climb much higher.
"This is what you work for, this is what you dream of," Young said after his win. "I'm just excited to be able to do this in New York, in my home country's major."
James Blake, USA
Friday was a day of missed opportunities for James Blake. The American, a quarterfinalist here in 2005 and 2006, found himself with a break advantage in both the second and third sets against No. 5 seed David Ferrer, but couldn't quite capitalize in front of a boisterous home crowd.
Ferrer, the Spaniard, broke back in each of the last two sets, winning the match 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 on Grandstand.
It was "The People's Court" to start the afternoon -- or at least seemed that way. Blake, once a top-10 player and a Harvard grad with New York ties, looked primed to capitalize on a maximum-capacity crowd that was loudly in his corner.
For Blake, it was the first time since 2001 that he hasn't advanced past the second round at the Open. He has continued to climb his way back from a right knee injury this year and at one point was ranked as low as No. 173 in the world. He entered into the Open this year ranked 63rd.
Sloane Stephens, USA
American teenager Sloane Stephens lost in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4 to Serbian Ana Ivanovic on Friday evening. She never really seemed able to find her footing, but did attempt to do so as the match went on. Unfortunately, sufficient response to give herself a fighting chance never materialized.
Post match she said “I was so caught up in being tight and nervous and not really handling the situation well to just freaking out, like, ‘What are you doing?’ ” Stephens said. “I was thinking like a 10-year-old. Everything kind of got to me at the end. I tried to fight it as best I could. But at some point, it catches up to you.”
“My serve is something that I usually can count on, and today it wasn’t there.”
source: usopen.org
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Posted by Shelia at 7:29 AM Labels: 2011 U.S. Open, Australian Open Series James Blake, David Ferrer, Donald Young, Fernando Verdasco, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Michaella Krajicek, Serena Williams, Sloane Stephens, Stanislas Wawrinka Email this post
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Raises Temperatures While Raising Funds For Cancer
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is "Everyman" in Cosmopolitan Magazine
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the latest player on the ATP World Tour to pose naked... for a good cause. The Frenchman can be seen in all his glory in the June issue of the U.K.'s Cosmopolitan magazine.
Tsonga is the third tennis player to bare all in support of the Everyman Male Cancer Campaign, following in the footsteps of Spaniards Tommy Robredo and Fernando Verdasco. The Everyman campaign raises awareness of, and funds research into, testicular and prostate cancer.
Cosmopolitan features different celebrities in nude centerfolds each month to aid UK’s leading male cancer campaign. Through its centerfolds, the magazine has helped raise vital funds for the 39,000 men a year diagnosed with male-specific cancer.
The World No. 19 did the photoshoot in Monte Carlo earlier this year. In the accompanying interview, Tsonga disclosed, "On a woman, I love beautiful eyes." As for what he likes most about his body, the Frenchman revealed, "My favourite part of my body is my buttocks, but I don't like my feet."
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Posted by Shelia at 6:39 PM Labels: 2008 ATP World Tour, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Everyman Manle Cancer Campaign, Fernando Verdasco, France, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, United Kingdom Email this post
Tsonga Opens Title Defense In Paris With A Win
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
(AP) PARIS — Defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Nikolay Davydenko won second-round matches at the Paris Masters on Tuesday to stay in contention for the ATP World Tour Finals.
Tsonga defeated Albert Montanes of Spain 6-1, 7-5 and Davydenko cruised past Benjamin Becker of Germany 6-2, 6-1.
Davydenko and Tsonga are among five players who can still qualify for the eight-man, season-ending event in London. Fernando Verdasco, Robin Soderling and Fernando Gonzalez are also in the running to secure the two remaining spots.
The 28-year-old Davydenko, who won the Paris Masters in 2006, needs to reach the semifinals to take a spot, while Tsonga must defend his title without facing Verdasco in the final to advance.
Tsonga showed no signs of the wrist injury that forced him to retire in the first round of the Valencia Open last week. The eighth-seeded Frenchman won five straight games in the first set. He broke in the 11th game of the second and closed it out on his first match point.
Davydenko, who broke Becker five times and saved four break points, said he didn't feel under pressure going into this week.
"There are three guys who need to win this tournament to qualify," said Davydenko, who has won four titles this season. "It won't be easy for the likes of Tsonga, Soderling or Verdasco and it makes me feel good."
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Posted by Shelia at 1:31 AM Labels: Fernando Verdasco, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Nikolay Davydenko, Robin Soderling, Valencia Open Email this post
Serena Moves On, Tsonga Moves Out
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
~~Australian Open Quarterfinals~~

At the time that the Australian Open officials decided to close the roof, the temperature on the court was a reported 107 degrees. As the roof was being closed, fans held up individual homemade signs that collectively said, "thank you for closing the roof."
Serena said later, "I was in like an out-of-body experience."
"I felt I was watching someone play in a blue dress, and it wasn't me, because it was so hot out there." "And I kept trying to tell myself that it's not hot, you know."
"But it got hotter ...."
After losing the first set, Serena was able to come back, take the second set and go on to win the match 5-7, 7-5, 6-1.
Serena is scheduled to play another Russian, Elena Dementieva, in her semifinal. When asked what she thought about being the only non-Russian in the semifinals Serena responded, "I guess it's me against the Russians."

On the other hand, over on the men's side, big Jo-Willy seemed to be out of gas from the very beginning of his match. Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga never was able to get a strong hold onto the match. Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, much to my surprise, was strictly business on the court last night. Verdasco ws energized and focused throughout the match and had an answer for nearly everything that Tsonga threw at him.
Verdasco defeated the 2008 finalist 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 6-3 6-2.
Photos by Getty Images
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Posted by Shelia at 11:45 PM Labels: Australian Open, Fernando Verdasco, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Email this post
Bryan And Fish Stop The USA Bleeding At Davis Cup
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Americans Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish kept the defending champions’ hopes alive, defeating Spain’s Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco 4-6, 6-4, 63 4-6, 6-4, spoiling Lopez’s 27th birthday celebrations and Spain’s dream of a 3-0 sweep in the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Semifinals. Bryan, playing Davis Cup doubles without twin brother Bob for the first time, and close friend Fish made a strong pair but their opponents also played a tough match.
“The key to this match was us bonding,” said Fish. “We’ve been great friends for years and you play your best tennis when you are having fun. I admire the way Mardy played today,” added Bryan. “It was tough to read Feliciano’s serve. It was a hard fought battle. We took our chances when we got them but it took a little while to get going.”
“It was very close. The toughest thing was to come back from two sets to one down and a break,” said Lopez. “With a bit more luck we could have won. The crowd helped us a lot in the fourth set.”
Good Start For Spain
Madrid’s Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas was rocking with nearly 21,000 fans, most hoping to see Lopez and Verdasco win the third point for Spain and propel their country into the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final for a sixth time. Lopez was treated to a chorus of “Happy Birthday” by the fans who were clearly in a celebratory mood but a smaller but no less noisy contingent of American fans also had their dreams of an American comeback.
The Spanish were on fire in the first set, serving better than the Americans and making only two unforced errors compared to 10 and converting the first break point opportunity in the seventh game on Bryan’s serve. Lopez served for the set, poaching a volley from Verdasco to seal the opener for Spain.
There were many celebrities on hand at Las Ventas including former IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, who earlier in the day received a Davis Cup replica trophy from ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti, to LA Laker Pau Gasol, a friend of Rafa Nadal’s. The iconic bullring was clearly the place to be this weekend and the excitement levels were very high.
Bryan And Fish Find A Way Through
The Americans started more confidently in the second set, making fewer errors and generally looking stronger while the Spanish pair made a few more errors to give the USA an opening and on their first break point of the match, Fish hit a stunning forehand volley to win the second set 64.
In the third set, the Americans really began to gel, playing solid tennis and making the Spanish work for every point. The Spanish were able to save two break points on the Verdasco serve at 4-5 but, on the third, Lopez hit a return just wide but Bryan hit it anyway, a winner down the line to finish the point. Fish held serve to give the Americans a two-sets to one lead.The traditional Bryan bump was adapted to a sort of Mardy/Mike twist bump that made its first outing in this set, never to be seen again.
Grabbing the momentum with both hands, the Americans broke Lopez in the first game to take a 1-0 lead but they were not able to hold on, with the Spanish breaking Mike Bryan in the eighth game to get back on serve. At 4-5, Fish served to stay in the set, saving five break points before the Spanish were able to capitalise and level the match at two-sets all.
Vital Break For USA
Verdasco served first to open the set, saving three break points and squandering two game points before a Lopez winner gave the Spanish a 1-0 lead in the set. The set went with serve until it was Verdasco’s turn again and he was broken to give the Americans the lead. Fish struggled on his serve but held on for 4-2 then Lopez held serve easily for 4-3. Bryan held serve for 5-3 and then Verdasco, who had struggled in his last two service games, needed to hold serve if Spain were to have a chance of victory in today’s doubles. If he was nervous, the Spaniard didn’t show it and forced Fish to serve for the match at 5-4. The American had a comfortable service game, converting the first match point to win the match and keep American hopes alive.
“It means the world to me,” added Fish who played on the losing side in the 2004 Final against Spain in Seville. “Davis Cup is a huge thing. I’ve been waiting four years for this.”
“Nobody can say that our players don’t play their guts out when they are playing for their country,” said US captain Patrick McEnroe. “This is a big shot of adrenalin going into Sunday. We lost two heartbreakers yesterday, won a close one today against a great team. We will take our chances, play aggressively when we can and see what happens.”
Nadal Vs. Roddick Tomorrow
Celebrations on the American bench and the prospect of a Nadal-Roddick opener tomorrow tantalised the crowd at Las Ventas who are excited about another day of live tennis. All three of the matches played so far have registered just over 3 hrs. 15 minutes on the Rolex clocks on court and tomorrow’s could also be a long one with the Madrid altitude helping a big server like Roddick, even against a player with the clay court prowess of Nadal.
Asked if he was worried about the crowd tomorrow, McEnroe said: “Rafael Nadal worries me a lot, more than the crowd. He’s the best clay court player in the world. Andy played a tough match against David Ferrer. He got a bit frustrated, losing his serve at 6-6 in the fifth. He’s a competitor who wants to win. I’m not worried. Andy knows what he has to do. He has been in this position before.”
“The crowd behaved well. We can’t complain. This is normal in Davis Cup,” said Spanish captain Emilio Sanchez. “If I were Andy Roddick, I would be concentrating on facing Nadal. If he is worried about the crowd, he won’t be playing his best tennis.”
Posted by Shelia at 4:10 PM Labels: 2008 Davis Cup, Andy Roddick, David Ferrer, Emilio Sanchez, Feliciano Lopez, Fernando Verdasco, Mardy Fish, Mike Bryan, Patrick McEnroe, Rafael Nadal Email this post
First Blake, Now Bob Bryan...USA Davis Cup Team Going Through Changes
Friday, September 19, 2008
Madrid, SPAIN – After losing the services of No. 2 singles player James Blake last week, the U.S. Davis Cup team has been thrown another obstacle in its quest to repeat as champion.
Bob Bryan, the hard-serving, left-handed compliment to twin brother Mike, withdrew from the 2008 Davis Cup World Group Semifinal on Tuesday, citing a left shoulder injury. He had hoped a cortisone shot would allow him to play in the important tie but was told by doctors to shut down all tennis activity for several weeks.
“His shoulder has been bothering him since Wimbledon,” said Mike Bryan. “With the long summer, he was taking anti-inflammatory medicine. After the Open, he was pretty sore. I’m not a doctor, but I think it’s fairly serious. He’s going to take a few weeks off and then start rehabbing in Florida.”
Virtually inseparable over the years, the Bryans have played every doubles match together as professionals since a brief hiatus in 2002, beginning at a tournament in Long Island, N.Y., when Bob was still playing in singles qualifying matches. For the record, Mike Bryan was a career 13-2 in doubles without his twin.
“There might be some things that these guys do better than Bob. They could return a little bit better,” said Mike as the team erupted in laughter. “It’s a good experience to step away from Bob and find my own identity.”
On the heels of capturing their second US Open title, the world’s top-ranked doubles team has excelled over the years on Davis Cup Saturdays, compiling a sterling 14-2 record.
A central piece in their remarkable run to the 2007 title, the Americans knew that they could count on a point from their doubles team. Now, suddenly, that point is in jeopardy.
“Spain was always the favorite, so we don’t look at that as making any big difference,” said U.S. Captain Patrick McEnroe.
“The time is coming for us to get a couple of young guys into the mix. Obviously, this is a difficult match, we’re all well aware of that. But at the same time, I think it’s a great opportunity for us to come out and play with the kind of enthusiasm that these guys have always had for Davis Cup. In no way do we look at this as a setback but as an opportunity for these guys to show what they can do.”
An able replacement for Blake, Sam Querrey has seen his ranking spike in the past year and recently took a set off Nadal at the US Open. Twice a practice partner, how much can be reasonably expected from the Davis Cup rookie in his big debut?
“Well, let’s see… He’s playing in his first Davis Cup tie, against Spain away, against arguably the greatest clay-court player of all time, so he better win,” smirked McEnroe.
“Sam has come a long way in the past year and has earned the opportunity to play. He’s going to get a lot out of this experience.”
Drawing from a suddenly deep pool of players, McEnroe quickly filled Bryan’s vacancy with steady veteran and close team friend Mardy Fish. An in-form player on the heels of a career-best quarterfinal result at the US Open, Fish can play either singles or doubles. In 2004, Fish was a member of the U.S. team that fell to Spain before a record crowd.
“I had a couple of days to put it all together,” said Fish, who was asked to join the team last Friday after Bob Bryan was declared unfit to play. With his wedding to “Deal or No Deal” model Stacey Gardner in just three weeks time, Fish was able to squeeze in the trip.
“I’m not planning it – I just have to show up,” said Fish. “I helped with the time and the date and the place, and that’s it.”
Bryan and Fish have practiced together over the last few days and are likely to get the nod against Spain’s Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco.
Entering the series as prohibitive favorites, Spain has retained its imposing four-man unit, headlined by top-ranked Rafael Nadal, along with rugged top-5 talent David Ferrer, Lopez and Verdasco.
Four-time defending French Open champion Nadal was given extra time to rest by Captain Emilio Sanchez and will be a heavy favorite on slow, red clay, a surface he has dominated.
The best-of-five World Group Semifinal series is expected to attract over 21,000 fans daily at the Plaza de Toros Las Ventas in the heart of downtown Madrid.
Reminiscent of the final in Seville four years ago, the Americans’ task is daunting, staring down not only the best clay-court player in the world but a partisan and raucous crowd, encircling them in an intimating bullfighting ring.
“I think it’s pretty awesome,” said McEnroe. “When you walk in, it’s not your traditional tennis venue, but I think it’ll make for a great weekend. I think the guys are really excited about being here and playing in such a unique environment.
Spain’s No. 1 singles player arrived in Madrid on Sunday and has declared himself fit, following a torrid recent stretch that included a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics and a semifinal result at the US Open.
Versus and Tennis Channel will air same-day coverage of all three days of competition. Versus will broadcast each day at 12 noon ET. Tennis Channel will re-air coverage at 8 p.m. ET.
Posted by Shelia at 1:24 AM Labels: 2008 Davis Cup, Bob Bryan, Feliciano Lopez, Fernando Verdasco, James Blake, Madrid, Mardy Fish, Mike Bryan, Spain Email this post
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