The French Keep On Winning

I have accused the French players of lacking a strong winner's appetite so many times now, that it seems like it finally got to them. After the recent wins of Marion Bartoli in Osaka and Gael Monfils in Stockholm, it was Tsonga's turn to shine again. On Sunday, he won the Vienna crown, keeping the winning momentum of his country rolling.
The top seeded Frenchman was far from convincing in the early rounds though and after a first round bye, he embarked on a ‘playing catch-up’ journey. In his first match, he got himself out of trouble when his injured opponent, Fin Jarkko Nieminen, retired trailing 1-3 in the decider. He continued to live on the edge, barely escaping the rejuvenated Belgian Xavier Malisse in the quarterfinals. After losing the first set 4-6, Tsonga dug deep to take the second one in a tie-break, before sealing a 6-4 final set victory. After two tiring encounters, he got the needed breath of fresh air in the semis, as his lower ranked opponent, qualifier Daniel Brands, couldn't do much to deny him an easy straight sets win.
However, it seemed like his luck was about to change, as next up he was faced with a difficult mission: in order to claim the title, Jo had to defy the odds. In the final showdown, he went head-to-head with big server Juan Martin del Potro, the Argentinean to whom he lost all three previous battles. As the final unfolded, none of players gave in, holding on to their serve. It was Juan Martin who stepped up the gear in the tie-break to take the first set 7-6. Having succumbed four break points at 5-5 and double-faulting at 5-5 in the tie-break, the Frenchman began rueing his missed opportunities. Thus, he allowed del Potro to claim the first break of serve, leading 2-1 in the second set. This marked an awakening call for Tsonga who broke back immediately and ensured a streak of 4 successive games to level the match at one set a piece. In the decider, the two went with serve until the 7 game, when Jo unleashed the fatal blow to the Argentinean’s serve. It proved the key moment of the dispute, as the Frenchman delivered two solid serving game with which he closed out a remarkable win against one of his toughest foes. It was again another impressive display from the exuberant Tsonga who, provided some consistency to his tennis, can definitely challenge the likes of Djokovic, Federer or Nadal in their quest for Grand Slam glory.
This triumph, second of 2011, strengthens his chances of qualifying for the Season’s Ending Championships.

photos (top-down / left-right): GETTY IMAGES, AP (x2),  GETTY IMAGES