Jo-Wilfried Tsonga ousts Philipp Kohlschreiber to reach round three – Monte-Carlo Rolex Master 2012
Birthday boy, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, tumbled over the German veteran, Philipp Kohlschreiber, in straight sets at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Master 2012 on Tuesday. He nudged up a 6-2, 6-4 victory against the world number 34 to advance into the round of 16 at this
ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) clay court event held in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
The Frenchman rallied past the German with his powerful forehands and was a treat to watch for the amazing Monaco supporters. He smashed five aces and outgunned Kohlschreiber in almost one and a half hour-long venture. Encountering each other for the sixth
time, Tsonga extended his lead in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series by 5-1 against the 28-year-old and secured a place in the third round.
Tsonga entered the Monte Carlo Country Club with poise and plucked his opening serve to take the initial lead. After the German held his serve in the fourth game, the 27-year-old smashed powerful groundstrokes to go on a four-game tear. He brushed off all
four breakpoints he came across and capitalised on two out of five break chances to seal the opener by winning six games to two.
Ranked fifth in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Tsonga carried his rhythm in the following set and held his serve in the opening game again. He maintained consistency in his game throughout the remaining course of the match and was able
to defend his serves. The French got the breakthrough in the last game and clinched the set with a 6-4 score line.
All in all, Tsonga produced almost an equal first serve share of 62 per cent and amazingly availed 29 out of 39 points on it.
Next in line for the fourth seed is the Spanish contender, Fernando Verdasco, who bounced back to overcome Croatia’s Ivan Dodig in three sets. The 13th seed gifted away his serve twice but broke the Croat’s serve five times to formulate a 3-6,
6-3, 6-1 success in almost two hours. He also jolted down a superb first serve share of 80 per cent as opposed to Dodig’s 59 per cent and clicked 46 out of 70 points on it.
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