Troicki stuns Tsonga in Bangkok semis
Originally published on: 26/02/10 11:46
Viktor Troicki ended hopes of an all-French showdown in the final of the PTT Thailand Open with a 1-6 6-2 6-3 victory over defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
The Serb, looking for the first title of his career, will face Gilles Simon in the final after the French No.2 seed beat Jurgen Melzer 6-4 7-6(3).
“I’ve beaten top-ten players before,” said Troicki after beating a fatigued Tsonga. “They are just human like the rest of us and are not unbeatable. I had a good day and I won.”
“I’ve beaten top-ten players before – they are human”
“I’ve played really well this week,” he added, before looking forward to the final. “I know Simon will be a tough opponent but I’m ready to go for the victory. I want to win my first title now.”
Tsonga said that he ran out of energy after sweeping the opening set and could not recover.
“I gave a lot in the Davis Cup last week and came here without much energy. It happens in tennis, we play a tough schedule every week, everywhere. We have to accept this, that’s all.”
In contrast, compatriot Simon is reaping rewards for arriving fresh for the Asian swing. The Frenchman is playing for the first time since the US Open, where he lost in the third round to Juan Carlos Ferrero.
“This shows that if I’m rested and have good training, I can play to a high level,” he said, as he makes a last-ditch bid to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London next month.
“I arrived on the court eager, ready to fight and ready to run. I’m very pleased to be back in a final.”
Simon had lost his only previous meeting with world No.44 Melzer, but produced eight aces and two breaks of serve in nearly two hours on court.
Having dropped serve leading 5-3 in the opening set, he immediately broke back to take it a game later.
In the second, neither man gave up their serve until the tiebreak, when Simon raced to a 5-1 lead and secured his spot in the final on his second match point with a passing winner down the line.
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