Black Tennis Pros

LYON, France (AFP) — Top seed and home favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga squeezed past Kevin Kim and into the second round of the Lyon ATP event here Tuesday.

The unseeded American belied his 87th world ranking to give Tsonga a run for his money but the 2008 Australian Open finalist eventually prevailed 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5).

The unexpectedly tight first round duel had the Gerland crowd captivated for an hour and a half.

In the second tie break Tsonga was trailing 5-3 but he managed to raise his game to close out the set and match.

The 24-year-old is aiming for his sixth career title and his fourth this season after wins in Japan, Johannesburg and Marseille.

Elsewhere Croatian third seed Ivan Ljubicic, who took the Lyon title in 2001, ended the hopes of Argentina's Martin Vassallo Arguello with a 6-3, 6-4 success.

Tsonga's compatriots enjoyed differing fortunes.

Veteran Fabrice Santoro, a winner here back in 1997, was knocked out by Spanish eighth seed Albert Montanes 6-4, 6-4, but Michael Llodra lives on after brushing aside Algerian Lamine Ouahab 6-1, 6-2.

Two qualifiers, France's David Guez and South African Kevin Anderson, respectively saw off Rajeev Ram of the United States and German Simon Greul to also make it into the second round.

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Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has roared back and secured his first tour title today in Bangkok, Thailand by defeating Serbian Novak Djokovic 7-6, 6-4. In a rematch of the 2008 Australian Open final, 23-year-old Tsonga turned the tables and took the trophy.

"It came down to maybe a couple of points. The last game was very hard and I was just saying in my head “Go On! Do It!” so it was incredible. I was not nervous, I was just a little bit nervous about Novak because he has played just unbelievably and, for me, it’s difficult to play against him because I have a really good serve and I think one of the best parts of his game is the return."


After spending the summer recooperating from knee surgery, Tsonga has blasted back onto the tour with an obvious determination. He could very well play his way into qualifying for the Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai for the first time.

"I feel great, it’s got to be one of the best moments of my life," said Tsonga. "I just played unbelievable tennis against Novak and it was just my dream so I’m really happy."


“This win is very special, I’ve wanted this since I was young,” Tsonga told reporters. “This is a dream come true. I’m happy to win, Novak is a great player.

“In tennis, you have to enjoy the moment. It’s great to win at last and I want to win more and more.”

Way to Go Tsonga!!

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BANGKOK, Thailand (AP)—Top-seeded Novak Djokovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga set up a rematch of their Australian Open final by winning semifinals Saturday at the Thailand Open.

Djokovic beat Thomas Berdych of the Czech Republic 7-5, 6-1, while the second-seeded Tsonga ousted fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-0, 6-3.

The third-ranked Djokovic won the first set when his shot tapped the net and fell into his opponent’s side. Berdych then double-faulted to lose his first service game of the second set, while a backhand error saw him go down 5-1. Djokovic closed the game out with a volley on his second match point.

“I felt as if I woke up from the dream in the second set. I felt sleepy in the first set,” the Serbian said. “But in the second set I broke him twice. He had bad service games and I took the opportunities.”

Tsonga benefited from a string of unforced errors by Monfils to race to a 4-0 lead. He faced a break point in the next game, but his powerful serve bailed him out and he went up 5-0. Tsonga set up a set point with a forehand down the line and took the set after Monfils’s forehand landed in the net.

Monfils hit an ace to level the second set at 1-1, but the more aggressive Tsonga broke again for a 4-2 lead with a passing shot. He sealed the victory with a service winner to wrap up the match in just 52 minutes.

“I hit the ball very well, but didn’t move well today,” Tsonga said. “I just hope to move better tomorrow.”

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Second seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France, who took part in a Thai kick-boxing demonstration on Thursday, will meet eighth-seeded Austrian Jurgen Melzer in the quarterfinals. Tsonga has a 1-0 record against Melzer, after the Frenchman won their ATP Masters Series Miami meeting in March. Melzer knocked out last month's Washington finalist Viktor Troicki of Serbia with a 6-4, 7-6(4) victory in 86 minutes. This season's Kitzbuhel finalist (l. to del Potro) improved to 27-22 on the season, while World No. 65 Troicki dropped to a 17-16 mark.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France poses with Thai kickboxing champion Somrak Khamsing.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga gives a kickboxing demostration.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga poses with Thai kickboxing champion Somrak Khamsing.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga poses while kickboxing at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

Source
Photos Getty Images

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Second-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who finished runner-up at the Australian Open final in January, earned a hard-fought 7-6(9), 3-6, 7-6(1), victory over qualifier Lukas Dlouhy of the Czech Republic Wednesday for a place in the Thailand Open quarterfinals.

The 23-year-old Tsonga booked his place in a fourth ATP quarterfinal (or better) on the season after one hour and 59 minutes. The La Rippe, Swiss resident, hit 21 aces and converted two of four break point opportunities in a service-dominated match. The pair had previously met on the ATP Challenger circuit in Rennes two years ago.

Tsonga, who missed three months of the season due to knee surgery, is currently No. 18 in the ATP 2008 Race to Shanghai. He has a 20-9 record on the season, highlighted by a runner-up finish at the Australian Open (l. to Djokovic) and two semifinal exits at Adelaide (l. to Nieminen) and Casablanca (l. to Simon). The 25-year-old Dlouhy, who was contesting his third ATP singles event this year, has a 2-4 season record.

Another Frenchman, fourth seed Gael Monfils, who could move into the Top 20 of the ATP 2008 Race to Shanghai if he wins the title this week, knocked out American Robert Kendrick 6-4, 7-6(4) in 75 minutes. Monfils had a 5-7 start going into Roland Garros, before turning his season around by reaching his first Grand Slam semifinal (l. to Federer) at Roland Garros, followed by a semifinal run at Nottingham (l. to Karlovic), a quarterfinal at the Beijing Olympics (l. to Djokovic) and fourth round performance at the US Open (l. to Fish). The 22-year-old improved to 21-13 on the season, while World No. 102 Kendrick dropped to 3-8.

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