David Ferrer beats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to enter semi-finals in Abu Dhabi – Tennis News
Two of the leading tennis players, David Ferrer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, were seen in action on December 29, 2011 in Abu Dhabi, playing the quarterfinal match at the 2011 Mubadala World Tennis Championship. Ferrer, the 29-year-old
Spaniard, won the match 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 to make his place in the semi-finals of the tournament.
Ferrer was way behind at the beginning of the first set, as Tsonga maintained his dominance by winning games in succession. This was a matter of concern for the Spanish player, for he could not afford to lose an exhibition match
without a fight. It seemed as if nothing was going right for Ferrer and he could only won two games in the first set but Tsonga won six and got a lead in the early goings of the match. This lead has a psychological advantage on Tsonga for he looked confident
to beat Ferrer again in the second set. The Spaniard came back strong which was a shock for Tsonga, as the French player thought Ferrer will not show much resilience.
With the second set in progress, Ferrer’s confident stance on the court was evident for he was playing shots with much aggression and style. Tsonga also felt his opponent’s energy as both players won back to back games in the second
set. The crowd in attendance was also enjoying the match for now it had become an evenly-fought contest, not like the one-sided first set they had witnessed earlier.
Ferrer replied each of Tsonga’s serves with force, keeping the spirit of the match alive and after winning only two games in the first set, Ferrer made a solid comeback as the second went into a tie breaker. The tie breaker was
another nerve wrenching moment as both contestants kept winning points but in the end, it was Ferrer who won the second set 7-6(5) to bring the match on even terms at one-all.
Tsonga, the finalist of the 2008 Australian Open and the quarterfinalist of the 2011 US Open, was hoping to enter the semi-finals of the 2011 World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi but Ferrer did not let that happen. The third
set proved to be a déjà vu moment for Tsonga as Ferrer beat him 6-2 to wrap up the match i his favour. Famous in the world of tennis as the clay court specialist, Ferrer has now cruised into the semi-finals of the tournament where he will meet compatriot Rafael
Nadal.
With this quarter-final win, Ferrer will be looking ahead at winning the finals of the tournament. More importantly, he will be glancing at the year 2012, for he will need some motivation to get moving forward. Tsonga, on the other
hand, should be rethinking his tennis strategy. He lost an exhibition match which means he has to cover his mistakes so he can have a better run in 2012. Both players will now have their hands full as 2012 approaches. Their target would be to get a win in
one of the four Grand Slams and grow their tennis careers to new heights.
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