Jo-Wilfried Tsonga outlasts Milos Raonic in round two – London Olympics 2012
French number one, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, took down the Canadian star, Milos Raonic, in a marathon three setter at the London Olympics 2012 on Tuesday. He nudged up a 6-3, 3-6, 25-23 score line against the 21-year-old to secure a spot in the third round at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, United Kingdom.
The fifth seeded French overpowered Raonic after prevailing in the epic final set which broke Olympic records. With 48 games, it became the longest set in Olympics’ history and lasted for exactly three hours. After earning the fame, Tsonga assertively advanced into the round of 16 at this major sport event held after every four years.
Tsonga reflected in a courtside interview after clinching the match:
"I think it is something good. To have some good matches like this at the Olympics. It's good for tennis, it's good for sports and I'm just really happy with the way I played today. At the end, I was just very happy for my country. I did it for them, and that's it."
Later, the Canadian jokingly said about the longest set:
“I don’t think I can say too much about it now. Maybe next time, I will sort of ask my opponent, ‘Do you want to play a long match and let’s take it seriously from 26-26?’”
The 27-year-old made a powerful entry at Games of x*x Olympiad. He drew the first blood in the second game and jumped to a 3-0 lead. Tsonga maintained consistency in his game and plucked his remaining serves, eventually pulling out the opener with a 6-3 win.
Ranked 23rd, Raonic re-focused in the following set and got the coveted break in the second game. He swiped his entire serves with self-assurance and subsequently pocketed the equaliser by winning six games to three.
The match was poised at a knife edge but the French top re-gained his strength and momentum.
Raonic brushed off match points at 15-16 30-40 and 20-21 0-30 to stay in contention. He also saved a match point at 23-24 0-40 but squandered the second point, eventually suffering the loss.
All in all, Tsonga smacked 17 aces and fired 60 winners to dominate. He also brushed off seven out of eight breakpoints he faced and cashed in two out of five break opportunities.
Up next for the French star is the Spanish contender, Feliciano Lopez, who stunned ninth seeded Juan Monaco in straight sets to set up this battle.
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