Monte Carlo 2016 Doubles QF Highlights
Monte Carlo 2016 Doubles QF Highlights
Apr152016
Frenchman prevails in three sets
France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga reached the semi-finals of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on Friday as he battled to upset Roger Federer 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.
The eighth-seeded Tsonga held his nerve to edge Federer in just over two hours, claiming sixth win in 17 meetings with the Swiss.
Tsonga will face either countryman Gael Monfils or Spanish lucky loser Marcel Granollers on Saturday for a place in his first tour-level clay-court final.
Playing this week in his first tournament since the Australian Open, Federer made a strong start to the match, breaking Tsonga three times to wrap up the opener. But the Swiss could not keep up his momentum, immediately dropping serve to open the second set. Trailing 1-4, Federer recouped one of the breaks, but Tsonga broke again in the seventh game before levelling the match.
The third set was a tight affair, with neither player creating a break point until the 11th game, when Tsonga broke Federer to 15 before serving out a memorable victory on Court Ranier III.
The 30-year-old Tsonga also reached the final four at the Monte-Carlo Country Club in 2013, falling to Rafael Nadal. He claimed his 39th Top 10 win (39-73 record) and first in Monte-Carlo after going 0-3 in the past three years.
Federer was making his comeback in Monte-Carlo after undergoing arthroscopic surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee after reaching the Australian Open semi-finals. His scheduled comeback in Miami was delayed due to illness.
The Basel native was contesting his eighth quarter-final in 13 visits to Monte-Carlo and is a four-time runner-up at the third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament of the year.
Britain’s Andy Murray is through to the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals following an impressive win over Canadian Milos Raonic.
The world number two won 6-2 6-0 in 66 minutes and will next play Rafael Nadal, who beat Stan Wawrinka 6-1 6-4.
It was a much improved performance from Murray, who broke 10th seed Raonic’s serve five times.
In the other half of the draw, Roger Federer plays Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils faces Marcel Granollers.
“It’s the most challenging surface for me every year,” said Murray.
“It normally takes me a few weeks to remember what I need to do, how to move, the way to build up the points and making sure you don’t rush.”
Murray needed almost three hours to beat Benoit Paire on Thursday and had struggled for form since the Australian Open in January – but he was close to his best against Raonic.
The Scot, 28, dominated all aspects of the game but was especially aggressive on the return, denying the big-serving Raonic a single ace and breaking five times.
“The two most important shots in tennis I did really well,” added Murray.
“I was getting a good read on the serve and, when he missed the first serve, I was being very offensive on the second serve return and putting him under pressure.
“The serve and the return for me were the best they’ve been for a while and I’m glad, because they weren’t so strong the last couple of matches.”
Jamie Murray boosted his hopes of hanging on to the doubles world number one spot for a while longer as he and Brazil’s Bruno Soares reached the semi-finals.
The pair beat sixth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Florin Mergea 6-2 6-3, despite Murray requiring treatment to his thigh at one stage.
Murray leads Marcelo Melo by just five points in the rankings and will face the Brazilian, and partner Ivan Dodig of Croatia, in the last four on Saturday.
Andy Murray is also still in the doubles alongside fellow Briton Dom Inglot – the pair will play France’s Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert later on Friday.
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Roger Federer has been named to Sports Illustrated’s Fashionable 50, joining the likes of Serena Williams, LeBron James, David Beckham and Tom Brady on the inaugural list.
SI wrote: “Tennis’s Swiss star and 17-time Grand Slam champion may have a colorful, garish look during matches, but Federer’s fun Nike kits allow him to settle in off the court and serve as a contrasting partner to his classic off-duty style. Federer’s choices are not cookie cutter or overly basic—you won’t see him in khaki pants with a blue blazer with gold buttons—but his looks are welcoming, simplistic and appeal to many different personalities. His partnerships with brands such as Rolex also influence his luxe, modern look. Federer’s involvement with the Jordan brand is groundbreaking and the shoes, made in collaboration with Michael Jordan, are a highly sought-after exclusive sneaker.”
A panel consisting of Sports Illustrated editors, sports and fashion experts came together to select the world’s most stylish athletes, taking into consideration such factors as their attire, endorsements, designer collaborations and social media presence.
The New York Giants’ Victor Cruz came in at No. 1 on the list, with Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Serena Williams and Henrik Lundqvist rounding out the Top 5.
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Recapping Thursday’s doubles action in Monte-Carlo
The top seeds and defending champions both bowed out in the second round on Thursday at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.
In a fast turnaround after winning their 110th team title on Sunday in Houston, Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan were ousted by Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, falling 6-4, 6-3 in 62 minutes.
“It’s very special to beat the Bryans in such a big tournament as Monte-Carlo,” said Farah. “I struggled with an injury in the month of March and was not able to play Indian Wells and Miami, so to bounce back this way is very gratifying. Sebas and I are playing at a high level and hope to back it up tomorrow.”
The Bryans had beaten Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini in the final last year to win their fifth Monte-Carlo crown.
Cabal and Farah are chasing their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown and go on to face Henri Kontinen and John Peers, who knocked out No. 1 seeds Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau 6-2, 6-3 in just under an hour.
“Once again today we played really solid,” said Peers. “It was great to continue that performance after yesterday’s win. Henri and I are combining really well now and we are both feeling very comfortable on court. Tomorrow will be another challenge for us and we will need to continue to play at this level.”
Second seeds Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo reached the quarter-finals with a 7-6(4), 6-2 victory over David Marrero and Benoit Paire. Last year’s Roland Garros champions are chasing their first title of the season together.
“We are very happy to start playing good tournaments,” said Melo. “Today we played a really good match from the first point. We could play as we want to play, this is very important. We hope to keep doing the same, playing well like we did in the first match. I think we have a chance to go deeper in the tournament.”
Third seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut received a walkover into the quarter-finals after Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco withdrew, with Verdasco citing a calf injury. Herbert and Mahut are looking to win their third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown in succession after victories in Indian Wells and Miami. They face Dominic Inglot and Andy Murray on Friday.