Tsonga speeds through the quarters

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Tsonga speeds through the quarters

Top seed Jo Wilfried Tsonga has booked a spot into the last eight term in Metz after upsetting Matthieu Rodrigues in two sets, 6-3, 6-4. Next up for the highest ranked French player is conational Nicolas Mahut.

Tsonga, who fired ten aces past Rodrigues, broke his opponent amid the opener to set a three game lead and clinch the first lead in nearly 45 minutes with Matthieu saving at the same time five other break points. As for the second term, it saw the same seeder go two games atop thanks to a couple of more breaks.

France’s number one also conceded a service in what could have seen the underdog level the score. Rodrigues could only save other break points without being able to come up with a recovery. He lost the game in nearly one hour and a half and Tsonga has gone three wins from his first title of the season.

“I am very happy to be here and a first match at a tournament is never easy but I feel things went really well today. Even if I haven’t played indoors in a long time, I feel good and enjoy playing on it very much right away,” said Tsonga after the game.

Tsonga finished the game with a 65 first serve percentage, a double fault, three out of 12 break point conversions and won 70 percent of service points and 44 of return ones respectively, compared to Matthieu’s 53 first serve percentage, 56 service one, two double faults and a poor 33 return percentage.

This year’s Queens finalist will next face compatriot Nicolas Mahut, who is also chasing his first title of the season. Mahut won an all French clash with Arnaud Clement after surviving an early scare, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Mahut lost the first set after conceding a service which proved to be sufficient for his opponent who managed to save six break points from the higher ranked.

Mahut recovered the deficit in the second term when he stunned with an impressive comeback which saw him grab a couple of break point conversions and only concede one service amid the round. Nicolas left his opponent two games behind when it counted the most, in the 11^th game of the set. A late break thus propelled him through a third set decider.

Finally, Mahut’s momentum continued even in the last term as he succeeded to pick yet another precious break amid the decider. He also kept his sheet clean on service, something which allowed him to stay in touch with the win until the end.

Nicolas won 66 percent of first serve balls, 40 of return ones and 66 of service points, adding at the same time 15 aces, three breaks and a couple of double faults. On the other side, Clement, who hit 11 aces past the conational, had a 60 first serve percentage, a poor 34 return one and a couple of break point conversions.

Mahut claimed the decider at three to make the uneasy progress and set his second meeting with Tsonga who has previously defeated him at the 2008 Hamburg Masters.

The same day second seed Richard Gasquet, who lacks a trophy this season, defeated Oliver Rochus in two easy sets, 6-2, 6-1. The favorite kept his service sheet clean in the first term and broke his opponent twice to seal the opener in just over half an hour.

The second set was much easier to grab as Gasquet picked two more breaks early in the term to set a five game lead and claim the win in nearly one hour and a half. He finished the game with four break point conversions out of six tries, ten aces, three double faults and a 63 first serve percentage.

Gasquet also won 73 percent of service points and 51 of return ones, compared to his opponent who came up with a 57 first serve percentage, a very poor 27 return one and a double fault. The French will next meet the 28 year old Luxemburg player Gilles Muller who follows a 7-6, 6-4 win against Paire Benoit.

The eighth seed and world number 49 Muller needed nearly two hours to oust the French. Paire, who had previously defeated Andrey Golubev, managed to push the opener into the tie break he eventually lost at the death, at five.  As for the second set, it saw the same Muller set a two game lead and close the meeting thanks to a midway break.

Muller finished the game with 12 aces, an impressive 74 service percentage and a couple of double faults. The Luxemburg player also converted 33 percent of return points and 62 of first serve ones, compared to Paire’s seven aces, three double faults and a poor 26 return percentage.

Sixth favorite Xavier Malisse has continued to impress in Metz after the Belgian crashed Igor Kunitsyn in two sets, 6-4, 6-2 in the second round. Malisse, who has not won a title this year, dominated the entire game, breaking his opponent three times in the opener and a couple of more times in the second term.

He would also save three out of five break points in the opener, something which gave the Russian no chance to break through. Malisse left the court with a 50 first serve percentage, a 52 return one, five aces and a 60 service percentage, while Igor’s showing included a 6 1first serve percentage, three aces, two double faults and a 40 return percentage.

Next up for the Belgian is third favorite Alexandr Dolgopolov who ousted Marcos Baghdatis in three tight sets, 6-7, 7-5, 6-3. The two went head to head until the tie break in the first set and it was the Cypriot to claim the first lead after sealing the breaker at five. But the second term saw the Ukraine player fight back to level the score thanks to a late break which allowed him to even the situation just before another potential breaker.

Against the first set momentum, Bghdatis lost more pace in the decider, permitting the Ukrainian to convert one out of three break points and take a three game advantage which Dolgopolov held tight until the end. He won the third set after saving two break points coming from the opposite side to set his first ever meeting with Malisse.

Overall, Alexandr won 53 percent of first service points, 33 of return ones and hit ten aces. He also committed six double faults, compared to the Cypriot’s 33 return percentage, four aces, two double faults and one break point conversion seven tries.

One of the biggest surprises of the event came from Igor Sijsling who stunned seventh favorite Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight terms, 6-4, 7-5. The Dutch broke this term’s Hale champion late in the opener to claim the first lead pretty easily. Philipp conceded yet another late service in the second term to lose the game in nearly a couple of hours.

Sijsling thus finished the meeting with a couple of break point conversions in seven tries, ten aces, three double faults and a 75 service percentage. On the other side, the German, who only created a break point chance, came up with a 49 first serve percentage, seven aces, two double faults and a poor 25 return percentage.

Next up for the Dutch is fourth seed Ivan Ljubicic who edged Nicolas Renavand in two similar sets 7-5, 7-5. The Croatian won both sets thanks to a couple of late breaks which were sufficient for a straight set progress. Ivan, who is chasing his first season title in Metz, finished the game with 13 aces, a 58 first serve percentage and an impressive 84 service one.

He also won 35 percent of return points, compared to his opponent who had a 64 first serve percentage, an extremely poor 16 return one and four aces. Ljubicic will meet Sijsling for the first time but will start the quarter final as favorite in front of the Dutch revelation.

Metz Prize Money and points:

Winner – 72,600 euro and 250 points ATP

Runner up – 38,200 euro and 150 points ATP

Semi finalist – 20,700 euro and 90 points ATP

Quarter finalist – 11,800 euro and 45 points ATP

R16 – 6,940 euro and 20 points ATP

R28 – 4,120 euro and zero points

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