Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has gone from the fringe of the Emirates ATP Race To London to the thick of the battle in less than two weeks, as he continues his push to qualify for a third Nitto ATP Finals.

The Frenchman helped his cause by beating Philipp Kohlschreiber, 7-6(4), 7-5 in the semi-finals of the Erste Bank Open 500 on Saturday in Vienna to advance to his third final at the event and his fifth final this season.

“I’m playing well. I’m playing good tennis,” Tsonga said. “Truly happy with my level this week…tomorrow it’s the final and only the winner [of the final] counts so I will give my best to be the winner.”

Tsonga, who was 22nd in the Race at the beginning of last week, has surged into contention with a title in Antwerp and now his appearance in the Vienna final. He has moved into 14th in the Race, and if he claims the title would have 2,510 points, just 95 points behind Pablo Carreno Busta, who currently holds the final qualifying spot.

It was his 10th win in a row against the German, extending his lead in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series to 11-1. Tsonga also continued his impressive indoor play, advancing his ATP World Tour-best indoor record this season to 20-2.

In the key moments of the match, it was Tsonga who proved to have too much firepower. Throughout most of the battle, the Frenchman actually allowed Kohlschreiber to dictate play. But when it mattered most he stepped into the court and that paid dividends.

Tsonga fell behind a break in the opening set before immediately evening affairs. He trailed just once in the ensuing tie-break, at 1-2, before claiming six of the next eight points to seal the opener. In the second set there were no breaks until 5-5, when the right-hander laced a forehand return winner on his first of three break opportunities to gain the only advantage he needed, closing out the match with an ace.

“I served really well. It’s good, gives me confidence when I can serve like this,” Tsonga said. “Hopefully it will continue like this tomorrow.”

Tsonga will face compatriot Lucas Pouille in the final, after the 23-year-old right-hander came back to defeat Kyle Edmund in three sets earlier on Saturday. It will be a rematch of this year’s Marseille final, as Tsonga took out the up-and-comer to clinch one of his four titles on the year. He has beaten Pouille in both of their FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, winning all four sets 6-4. 

“It’s going to be special, because he’s the new generation. I will not say I’m the old one, but I’m the older generation,” Tsonga joked. “It’s going to be a good match.”

Pouille Falls Short Of Second Final

After advancing to the singles final, Pouille had an opportunity to reach the doubles final as well with #NextGenATP Karen Khachanov. But Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters champions Rohan Bopanna and Pablo Cuevas defeated the French-Russian duo, 7-6(2), 6-4 to move on to their second final as a team this season.

Bopanna and Cuevas will face Marcelo Demoliner and Sam Querrey, who received a walkover in the semi-final as Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic had to withdraw due to Marach’s back injury. Demoliner and Querrey defeated Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, the second seeds, in the second round.

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Lucas Pouille is doing his best to enter the 2018 season with a surge of momentum at his back. A first ATP World Tour 500 final appearance will go a long way.

Pouille rallied past Kyle Edmund 6-7(7), 6-4, 6-3 in Saturday’s first semi-final at the Erste Bank Open 500 in Vienna. The World No. 25 reached his sixth ATP World Tour final and fourth of the year. He will look to add a hard-court crown to victories on the clay of Budapest and grass of Stuttgart, when he faces either Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Philipp Kohlschreiber on Sunday.

It marks the second straight year a Frenchman will appear in the Vienna final, following Tsonga’s runner-up finish to Andy Murray in 2016. Having dropped just one set en route to the championship, Pouille is in strong form in his quest to go one step further.

More aggressive from the baseline and striking his forehand with authority, Edmund had Pouille on defence often in the first set. He would earn the lone break points of the opener – six in total. While Pouille did well to turn them all aside and surge to a 4/0 lead in the ensuing tie-break, Edmund exhibited nerves of steel to claw back, striking a backhand winner down the line for 4-all. After denying a pair of set points, the 22 year old launched a forehand winner – his 11th of the set – to take the dramatic tie-break 9/7.

As clutch as Edmund was in the first set, a sloppy service game to open the second was all Pouille needed to seize the initiative. The Frenchman grabbed the quick break as momentum abruptly swung to his side of the court. Suddenly, he was the aggressor, forcing a decider and striking a forehand winner for the decisive break in the third set. Pouille advanced to the final after a gripping two hours and 17 minutes.

Pouille fired 36 winners, to Edmund’s 26, and launched 13 aces in what was their third FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting. All three encounters have come this year, with the Frenchman also taking a Davis Cup quarter-final clash in straight sets.

With Tsonga contesting the second semi-final, it marked the first time in tournament history (since 1974) that a pair of Frenchman are featuring in the last four in the Austrian capital.

Pouille’s day is not done just yet. The 23-year-old is also in the doubles semi-finals, teaming with Karen Khachanov against Rohan Bopanna and Pablo Cuevas to conclude play on Saturday.

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Before the US Open, Juan Martin del Potro was 47th in the Emirates ATP Race To London. The only place it appeared the Argentine would get to see the Nitto ATP Finals action would be from home.

But after defeating defending champion Marin Cilic, 6-4, 6-4, in one hour, 37 minutes in the semi-finals of the Swiss Indoors Basel, del Potro moved to within one match of putting himself in the final qualifying spot for the year-end finale with just one tournament remaining, at the Rolex Paris Masters next week.

“I played a good match, but always to beat Cilic you must play at a high level,” del Potro said. “I’m happy that I did well and reached another final here in Basel.”

If del Potro can earn his third Basel title (2012, 2013) on Sunday, he will pass Pablo Carreno Busta, who currently occupies the final spot, in the Race.

Del Potro has played some of the best tennis of anyone on the ATP World Tour lately, advancing to the semi-finals of the US Open (l. Nadal) and the Shanghai Rolex Masters (l. Federer), defending his title at the Intrum Stockholm Open (d. Dimitrov) and now reaching the Swiss Indoors Basel final for the first time since 2013.

Saturday’s victory was his seventh in a row against Cilic, extending his lead in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series to 10-2. He has also won 17 of their past 19 sets.

And while Cilic is at a career-high of No. 4 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, he never truly found his rhythm against the in-form del Potro. The Croatian made an abundance of errors to dig himself a hole that he could not fight his way out of. After early breaks by both in the opening set, del Potro drilled a backhand return on his third break point at 4-4 to gain the advantage, and he would hold to clinch the set. Del Potro then broke immediately in the second set as he looked to storm into the final. But Cilic started to find his range off the baseline, breaking back for 3-3. However, the momentum did not last as he immediately earned his break back, and held out from there to clinch the win.

“I think I will be in good shape for tomorrow,” del Potro said. “I’m so excited to play the final.”

The Argentine will play seven-time Basel champion Roger Federer, who cruised past third seed David Goffin, 6-1, 6-2, in the semi-finals. Del Potro trails Federer 6-17 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry. And while the Swiss has captured four of their past five matches, the 29-year-old ousted Federer in the quarter-finals of this year’s US Open.

“For me it’s going to be a great challenge and also a great pleasure to play against Roger again in his hometown,” del Potro said. “It will be a great atmosphere, and I will enjoy it a lot.”

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