Tsonga Boxes Clever For Anderson Win
Tsonga Boxes Clever For Anderson Win
Frenchman through to fourth round
Ninth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga showcased a new boxing-style celebration as he sealed his place in the fourth round of the US Open on Friday. The Frenchman, oft-likened in appearance to the late Muhammed Ali, defeated Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) before showcasing his shadow boxing moves on Grandstand.
The 31-year-old Tsonga avoided a fourth set as he fended off a set point in a lengthy 10th game of the third set, before edging Anderson in the ensuing tie-break to claim victory in two hours and 50 minutes.
“It’s never easy to play that kind of player,” said Tsonga. “He’s serving well. He’s also moving well from his baseline for his height. Today it was a good challenge for me to beat him. I did it well. It was a good match for me.”
A good run at the US Open could see Tsonga mount a late charge in the Emirates ATP Race To London. He is currently 16th, more than 1000 points behind eighth-placed Gael Monfils. Injuries have blighted parts of his season, but the right-hander came back strongly at Wimbledon, where he reached the quarter-finals (l. to Murray).
As he looks to reach the US Open quarter-finals for the third time, Tsonga will face Jack Sock. The Frenchman reached the last eight in 2011 (l. to Federer) and 2015 (l. to Cilic).
No. 10 seed Monfils surged into the second week with a confident 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 win over Nicolas Almagro in the third round. After cruising to a two-set lead, Monfils emerged the winner by taking an unusual third set which featured five consecutive breaks of serve.
The Frenchman only dropped six first-serve points in the one-hour, 49-minute victory and broke Almagro seven times to even his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry at 3-3. The explosive Monfils stayed within his comfort zone against the hard-hitting Spaniard, firing 31 winners and only 20 unforced errors. Meanwhile, Almagro hit 18 winners and succumbed after making 42 unforced errors.
In the fourth round, the 2010 and 2014 US Open quarter-finalist will take on Marcos Baghdatis. The Cypriot’s lone victory against Monfils came a decade ago at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati.
Rising French star Lucas Pouille is into the second week in New York after outlasting Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1. The 22 year old, who reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at Wimbledon this year, is into the fourth round of a major tournament for the second time. The No. 24 seed broke serve in the final game of a tight fourth set, then raced to a 5-0 lead in the final set against Bautista Agut. He finished with 67 winners, including 14 aces.