Jo-Wilfried Tsonga ousts Marcel Granollers to reach semis – Winston-Salem Open 2012
Top seed, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, devastated the Spanish contender, Marcel Granollers, with a breadstick at the Winston-Salem Open 2012 on Thursday. He jolted down a 6-1, 6-2 victory against the world number 25 to cruise into the final four at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 series event held in North Carolina, United States.
The French number one needed 53 minutes to crush Granollers in their second encounter. After earning the spotlight, Tsonga improved to a 2-0 lifetime in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series against the Spaniard and booked a spot in the final four at this Emirates Airline US Open Series event.
“I’m very happy because I played a bit less than the two [previous] matches and also because I played very good tennis. For me it’s good. It’s good for the rest of the tournament,” said the delighted French in a courtside interview after clinching the match.
Tsonga went berserk after entering in the Wake Forest University. He blasted powerful groundstrokes from his box of tricks to reel off the opening five games before Granollers could come on the score sheet. The French held his serve once more and eventually pulled out the opener with a breadstick.
Ranked sixth in the world, Tsonga, maintained his intensity in the follow-up set and earned the critical break in the opening game to take the initial lead. He capitalised on another break chance in the fifth game and leaped to a 5-1 lead. The Frenchman plucked his serve once more and sealed the set by winning six games to two.
On the whole, Tsonga fired five aces and amazingly availed 23 out of 30 points on his lower first serve share of 64 per cent. He was never threatened with any breakpoint and converted four out of five break chances to his advantage.
Next in queue for Tsonga is the American number one, John Isner. The third seed eased past Belgium’s David Goffin in straight sets to set up this battle. Isner cashed in two out of eight break opportunities and struck 21 aces to formulate a 7-6(5), 6-3 score line.
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