Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overwhelms Andreas Seppi in the third round clash – BNP Paribas Masters 2011
World number eight, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, registered a comprehensive victory over the 46th ranked Italian competitor, Andreas Seppi, in the third round of the BNP Paribas Masters, in Paris, France, on Thursday night.
The sixth seeded home favourite took one hour and sixteen minutes of play to wind up the contest in straight set, 6-3, 6-4, charging into the quarter-final rounds of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 1000 event. It is the third time that the 26-year-old French has made it to the final eight at the Paris Masters.
“I want to do well because it is in France,” said Tsonga. “I also want to do well because I could finish the year at a better ranking if I play well.”
Tsonga recorded his 51st victory of the running season and the second consecutive one against Seppi in the current year, leading 2-1 against the Italian qualifier. He faced limited resistance from Seppi in the matchup, keeping the games short and professional to cruise to victory in style.
The aggressive Frenchman cracked in 13 thudding aces and dropped merely five points on his first serve to clinch 34 out of 39 points en route to victory. He converted two out of three break points in the matchup, with Seppi utterly failing to register a single one to finish on the losing side in the end.
The sixth seed will take on the belligerent world number one, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, in the next matchup to earn a place in the semis of the Paris Masters. Djokovic recovered from an early slump in the third round clash against his fellow compatriot, Viktor Troicki and wrapped up victory at 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, to make it to the quarter-finals of the event.
“When I'm on that court, I have nothing to lose against him,” stated Tsonga after dumping Seppi in the third round. “That way, I'm thinking when I go onto the court against him, he has more to lose than I do. So I always go to try to play my best tennis, and I'm sure it is the reason why every time I play against him I play my best tennis.”
Djokovic leads 5-4 against Tsonga in their head-to-head series, with two victories coming in the current year. Their last encounter was at the semi-finals of the Wimbledon Championships, where Djokovic eventually went on to win the Grand Slam title.
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