Jo Wilfried Tsonga vs. Gael Monfils – final preview: Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2012
In an all-French final showdown, the third seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will square off against the fourth seed, Gael Monfils, in the title-round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2012 on Saturday. Tsonga received a walkover win against
the defending champion, Roger Federer, while Monfils upset the top seed Rafael Nadal to set-up this clash.
The encounter between the top French competitors will take place on the hard courts of Doha, Qatar, for this first ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour event. The higher ranked French, Tsonga, leads the head-to-head
series by 2-1 against Monfils. However, Monfils battled past Tsonga with a 7-6(2), 2-6, 6-4 score line in their last encounter at the Montpellier ATP 2010. 25-year-old saved three out of five breakpoints he came across and cashed in only one out of five break
chances to his advantage. He committed more errors and double faults but smashed eleven aces to cover it up.
World number 16, Monfils enjoyed a successful 2011 season, reaching his career best rank at number seven in July. He grabbed his maiden 2011 title at the Stockholm ATP in October (rallied past Finn Jarkko Nieminen) and has brilliant
runs in many tournaments. He reached the final rounds of the Kooyong ATP Exhibition and Washington ATP events and made semi-final berths at the San Jose, Halle and Bangkok ATP events.
The French number two started the season with same spirit and bagged his opening round match in straight sets against Portuguese Rui Machado. He cruised into the quarters where he crushed fifth seed Viktor Troicki in straight sets
to face a former world number one, Nadal. Monfils displayed his true colours against the Spaniard and snapped out from his losing streak, reducing the trail in the head-to-head series by 2-8 against Nadal. The French smashed four aces, dusted away two out
of three breakpoints he faced and cashed in all three break opportunities. He also registered an amazing first serve share of 76 percent and clinched 36 out of 52 points on it.
"It's always really tough to play against Jo because he has a powerful game, and kind of game [where] it's tough to manipulate him from the baseline," Monfils said about his upcoming match. I need just to focus on my game and focus
on my mind. It's always tougher to be like this in the final against a friend. You want to show him you're the best, and sometimes, you're going too fast, and sometimes you're a bit shaky. You have to find a balance."
The French number one, Tsonga, on the other hand, earned a walkover victory against a former world number one, Federer, to reach this final spot. However, in his quarter-final battle against Spaniard Albert Ramos, he blocked all
three breakpoints he encountered and capitalised on five out of eight break chances. Tsonga also hammered five aces and produced a higher first serve share of 70 percent, registered 26 out of 31 points on it.
Ranked 6th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Tsonga also enjoyed a successful 2011 season. He lifted titles at the Metz and Vienna ATP events and made final showdowns at the Rotterdam ATP, Queens
Club ATP, Paris Masters 1000 event and Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
In my opinion, Tsonga hasn’t been tested by a top player this season while Monfils on the other hand stunned the Spanish number one to reach this spot. If the lower ranked French keeps his momentum and play his original game, Monfils
can overpower his compatriot with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 victory.
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