Tsonga survives first round challenge among home crowd in Paris

The Philippe Chatrier crowd was treated to a thrilling first-round match on Sunday at Roland Garros as home hope Jo-Wilfried Tsonga battled past German Daniel Brands 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(2), 7-5.

The eighth-seeded Tsonga trailed by a break of serve at 2-1 in the final set, but was able to level on his fourth break-back point opportunity in the fourth game as Brands netted a forehand. He was then denied on a match point chance on Brands’ serve in the 10th game before converting his third opportunity in the 12th game as a physically tired Brands drove a backhand long after three hours and 43 minutes of pulsating action.

"I was not at the top of my game," Tsonga said afterwards. "I was not at the top of my shape with regards to running. Many things. But what's important is winning it at the end of the day."

It was Tsonga’s third win in three five-set matches; he won his first two attempts in back-to-back thrillers against Nicolas Almagro and Novak Djokovic en route to the Australian Open semi-finals (l. to Federer) in January. The Le Mans native posted his best result at Roland Garros last year, when he reached the fourth round (l. to del Potro).

In an all-French second-round encounter, Tsonga will face No. 130-ranked Josselin Ouanna, who struck 64 winners as he defeated Poland’s Lukasz Kubot 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4 in three hours and 35 minutes. The 24-year-old Ouanna, who won just his fourth tour-level match of the season, also found his best tennis at Roland Garros last year, when he defeated Marat Safin in five sets to reach the third round (l. to F. Gonzalez).

A third Frenchman advanced as World No. 39 Julien Benneteau produced an exceptional display to oust in-form Latvian Ernests Gulbis. Benneteau had outplayed the No. 23 seed to establish a 6-4, 6-2, 1-0 lead when Gulbis was forced to retire with a right-thigh injury, which he suffered when already trailing by a set and a break.

The 21-year-old Gulbis, a quarter-finalist in Paris two years ago, came into Roland Garros on the strength of two quarter-final appearances in Barcelona and Madrid and a semi-final run in Rome (d. Federer, l. to Nadal), but could not replicate his high level of tennis against Benneteau for the first set and a half, before he suffered the thigh injury that further impeded him.

"Of course I'm disappointed," said Gulbis. "I prepared really good for this tournament, but it's okay. It's a Grand Slam, it's a big tournament. But I have maybe nine more, eight more years of my career, I will have 20 Grand Slams in front of me, and if I concentrate on one, which wasn't that good, I will get nothing, but it's okay."


Sunday, 23 May 2010

Singles - First Round
[5] R Soderling (SWE) d L Recouderc (FRA) 60 62 63
[8] J Tsonga (FRA) d D Brands (GER) 46 63 62 67(2) 75
[10] M Cilic (CRO) d R Mello (BRA) 61 36 63 61
[11] M Youzhny (RUS) d M Przysiezny (POL) 61 60 64
J Benneteau (FRA) d [23] E Gulbis (LAT) 64 62 10 ret. (right thigh)
[29] A Montanes (ESP) d S Galvani (ITA) 63 63 63
[32] G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) d R Schuettler (GER) 75 64 62
J Ouanna (FRA) d L Kubot (POL) 76(5) 67(4) 62 64
T De Bakker (NED) d O Patience (FRA) 64 57 64 63
T Kamke (GER) d S Robert (FRA) 60 64 63
A Falla (COL) d J Tipsarevic (SRB) 61 62 63
M Chiudinelli (SUI) d S Devvarman (IND) 63 36 63 36 63
J Chela (ARG) d R Sweeting (USA) 60 64 76(4)
F Fognini (ITA) d N Massu (CHI) 61 36 26 63 63
E Roger-Vasselin (FRA) d K Anderson (RSA) 16 46 63 76(4) 61
M Yani (USA) vs L Lacko (SVK) 64 67(5) 67(4) 76(5) 8-8 - play suspended