Jo-Wilfried Tsonga fends off scare against Denis Istomin in round one – China Open 2012
Seeded third in this event, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for France, made an epic comeback from a set down to outshine the Uzbekistani number one, Denis Istomin, in a three-set nail-biter at the China Open 2012 on Tuesday. He clobbered a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(3) victory against
the 26-year-old to inched towards his third year-to-date title at this outdoor hard court event taking place in Beijing.
The French number one made a drastic start at the National Tennis Center. However, he hit back and eventually overpowered Istomin in their fourth meeting. As a result, Tsonga improved to a 4-0 lifetime in the FedEx ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals)
Head 2 Head Series against the world number 45 and powered into the second round.
"It was not easy, because I played a good player in the first round; it was not easy to get used to the conditions," said the delighted French after registering the victory in almost two hours. "Point after point I played better and better during the match.
It's some points for me to maybe have a chance to play the last eight at the end of the year. So for me it's really important to win and continue to win."
The Russian-born Istomin made a powerful start at this ATP World Tour 500 Series event. He drew the first blood in the third game and jumped to a 3-1 lead. The Uzbek held his remaining serves with poise and eventually sealed the opener by winning six games
to four.
Tsonga made a spectacular reply in the proceeding set. After Istomin held his opening serve in the second game, the French unleashed barrage of groundstrokes and wiped out five games in a row. He blocked both breakpoints he faced and cashed in both break
chances to pull out the equaliser with a breadstick.
The French star maintained his intensity in the final set which counted the most. He swiped his entire serves without facing any trouble. Tsonga squandered both break opportunities but dominated in the tie-breaker, eventually clicked the decider with a 7-6(3)
win.
Tsonga will face off the Russian contender, Nikolay Davydenko, who crushed his qualifying compatriot, Alex Bogomolov Jr., with a breadstick to reach this spot.
Tags: