Jo-Wilfried Tsonga wins his fifth consecutive straight-set match of the fortnight, this time rolling over 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer on Tuesday at Roland Garros. Tsonga is through to a semifinal clash against David Ferrer, who cruised past fellow Spaniard Tommy Robredo.
Only a wild French Open complete with one thrilling five-setter after another has prevented Jo-Wilfried Tsonga from stealing the show. On Tuesday, however, the stage was all his.
Tsonga crushed Roger Federer 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 in one hour and 51 minutes to book a spot in his first-ever semifinal at Roland Garros. The Frenchman, who has still not dropped a single set this fortnight, served at 75 percent, did not double-fault, and recorded a +4 winners-to-errors ratio.
“For me, it’s maybe one of my best victories,” Tsonga assured. “Sport is beautiful because you can always do something. Even if you play the best player in the world, you have a chance.”
A chance? The world No. 8 was positively dominant, at least after he briefly trailed 4-2 in the opening set. Tsonga promptly went on a streak in which he won eight of nine games, breaking Federer at 3-4, 6-5, and again at 1-0 in the second. Federer, meanwhile, began to see his game fall apart when he led 4-3, 40-15 in the opener.
The third-ranked Swiss, who never came close to getting back on level terms in the middle frame, showed signs of a recovery by earning a rare scalp of the Tsonga serve in the second game of the third. However, Federer was already down a break at that point thanks to a double-fault at 0-0, 30-40. Tsonga, though, wasted no time getting the momentum back in his corner. The sixth seed won the last four games of the day starting at 2-3, clinching victory in style with Federer serving at 3-5 when the 2009 French Open champion sent a backhand long.
“I thought he played great today,” Federer said of his conqueror. “He was, in all areas, better than me today. That’s why the result was pretty clean. I was impressed by the way he played.”
Next up for Tsonga is David Ferrer, who hammered fellow Spaniard Tommy Robredo 6-2, 6-1, 6-1. Ferrer also has not yet surrendered a set at this event and has not even been pushed to a tiebreaker (Tsonga played one against Jarkko Nieminen in the second round).
“I feel I’m able to beat him (Ferrer) because I believe I have the weapons for that,” Tsonga explained. “I have more endurance now. I’m more consistent. I hit harder than he does, and normally I serve a lot better than him.”
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