2011 ABN AMRO World Tennis: Tomas Berdych vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – Preview
Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, takes on Czech giant, Tomas Berdych, in the second quarterfinal of the day. The two top 20 players are playing at the 2011 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam this week.
Ranked 18th in the world, Tsonga is playing in his second year here. The Frenchman debuted here in 2009 as the seventh seed. Sailing past local Jesse Huta Galung and Dmitry Tursunov, Tsonga made his way into the quarterfinal where he was to meet
world number one, Rafael Nadal. Falling to Nadal, Tsonga exited the event.
Equalling his career best here this week, eighth seeded Tsonga made his way into the quarterfinal on Thursday after doing away with compatriot, Michael Llodra. Bouncing back from being one set down, Tsonga prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to make it into the final
eight. Tsonga had earlier defeated Bulgarian qualifier, Grigor Dimitrov in the first round.
Playing the quarterfinal match today, Tsonga has his work cut out for him. Not having played the Czech before, Tsonga has no idea what to expect. Though the Czech is a top ten player, it probably won’t factor much into the match result since both professionals
are almost equally matched and enjoy good form so far this season.
Finishing last year for the first time in the top ten, Berdych has done much to maintain his ranking so far though a minor blip in the Australian Open caused him to drop down one place.
Starting the year at the Chennai event as the top seed, Berdych made it all the way to the semi-finals before losing to eventual champion, Stanislas Wawrinka. The second event he played at in the season was the prestigious Australian Open. Playing as the
sixth seed, Berdych enjoyed a quarterfinal run before he lost to eventual champion, Novak Djokovic.
His quarterfinal run silenced all those out there who questioned the Czech’s place in the top ten. However, Ferrer’s semi-final run at the Grand Slam bumped Berdych down one place in the rankings.
Playing in his sixth year here, Berdych surpassed his career best here as he clinched a spot in the final eight on Thursday. Seeded fourth in the event, Berdych dismissed Russian qualifier Dmitry Tursunov after surviving a mid match lapse, recording a 6-4,
4-6, 7-5. Berdych had earlier defeated Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the first round.
Debuting here in 200, Berdych had failed to move past the second round with his 2010 run being stopped short in the first round by Grigor Dimitrov.
However, this time around Berdych’s recent form not only does justice to his position in the top ten but also makes him one of the favourites to win the event especially since David Ferrer and Andy Murray, the third and second seeds, have already been ousted
from the event in their opening clashes.
Prediction: Matching Tsonga’s desire to perform well after an injury ridden season in 2010 with Berdych’s will to stay in the top ten, the match is expected to be an edge-of-the-seat affair.
Despite being closely matched, the odds lie in Berdych’s favour because of the Czech’s higher ranking. However, ranking can only do so much and in no way means a sure shot victory.
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