David Ferrer vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – QF preview: Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2011
Top players in the men’s professional circuit are ready to take off the 2012 ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) and an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi is a perfect place for them to get warmed up. The Mubadala World Tennis Championship will feature
six of the top class male performers, eyeing to get some winning momentum before stepping in the next year.
The $250,000 winner-takes-all event will take off from 29th of December at The Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex at the Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirites. The opening day of the event will feature two of the most exciting
tennis stars of the current era, world number five, David Ferrer of Spain and the sixth ranked Frenchman, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
The two contestants will go one-on-one against each other on Friday night and the winner of the battle will face the world number two, Rafael Nadal, in the semi-finals of the event. Third ranked Roger Federer and Nadal have been awarded the semi-final spots
in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship and winners of day one’s play will meet them for a place in the final of the exhibition tournament.
Fifth ranked Ferrer had a successful run in the 2011 ATP season, sustaining his position in the Top-5 by the year end. He finished off the season with a 59-19 winning record and two championships titles under his belt. The Spaniard made a very strong appearance
at the circuit-ending grand finale, the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in London, making all the way to the semi-finals of the mega event. He stunned the world number one, Novak Djokovic, in the round robin stage of the event but fell to the
eventual champion, Federer, in the semi-final clash.
Tsonga, on the other hand, reclaimed his career-best ranking of world number six this season after falling to the 22nd spot in May. The tall French claimed two ATP championship titles, with a 55-24 winning record this season and nailed two successive
victories over the third ranked Federer to improve his ratings in the South African Airways ATP World Rankings.
Both Ferrer and Tsonga are seeking a perfect start at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship to get their winning momentum before stepping into the 2012 ATP season. It will be a battle of contrasting playing styles and not much can be predicted about the
possible result. Tsonga will rely on his power hitting and fiery serve, whereas Ferrer is kind of a crafty player, creating opportunities of his own in the matchup to keep nudging points on regularity.
The head-to-head series between the two men is levelled at 1-1, with Tsonga registering victory in their most recent encounter. Ferrer faced Tsonga for the first time in the quarter-final round of an ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome in 2010 and blew away the
Frenchman in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1. The two met for the second time this season on the grassy courts of Wimbledon Championships and it was Tsonga to turned the tables on Ferrer in straight sets this time around, finishing off at 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(1).
It will be a treat to watch the two aggressive competitors but being the better-ranked player in the match, Ferrer can be the person to bid upon.
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