Gilles Simon trounces Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to reach the semi-finals – Monte Carlo Rolex Masters 2012
World number 15, Gilles Simon, trashed the fifth ranked compatriot, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, in straight sets 7-5, 6-4 to reach the semi-final stage of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on Friday. It was a commanding display from the ninth
seed French who registered an upset in an hour and 32 minutes.
Tsonga was under the cosh right from the beginning. He lost two successive serves to go down 0-3 in the opening set but replied with one breakpoint to decrease the trail. However, Simon still had a lead in the set and he faced
no difficulty at all to gust past his opponent to a lead of 5-4.
He just needed to hold the serve in the 10th game to take the first set but the big Frenchman pounced back and won four back-to-back points to register the most critical breakpoint and level the scores at 5-5. However,
the ninth seed contender broke serve immediately to reclaim the lead and this time held his serve to take the first set.
The second set was dominated by the fourth seed Tsonga who clasped an early breakthrough to register a resounding lead of 3-0. Simon didn’t panic and kept on hunting for the critical breakthrough to bring the scores level. He was
rewarded in the seventh game with a breakpoint and won the following four points to tie the scores at 4-4.
Tsonga was again under pressure and he could only grab a single point in his following serve game that forced him down to a trail of 4-5. Simon comfortably held his serve to bag the match and register his second back-to-back upset
of the tournament.
Previously, the ninth seed Frenchman had defeated the seventh seed Serb, Janko Tipsarevic, in the third round clash of the tournament. He has been in sublime run of form and needs to continue that in order to improve his odds of
winning a contest against the former world number one, Rafael Nadal.
Nadal has been winning this tournament for the past seven years and has registered an emphatic record of 40-0 in this arena. He had some knee issues at the start of the tournament but seems fully fit after thrashing her opponents
in straights sets during the first four rounds of the tournament. Simon will have to pull up a miraculous performance to power down the Spaniard.
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