Tsonga edges all-French affair in Marseille

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 11:29

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga claimed his second ATP title of the year by beating fellow Frenchman Michael Llodra in the final of the Marseille Open, rounding off a good month for the 23-year-old.

Tsonga, who earlier in February claimed the SA Tennis Open, got the better of Llodra’s pressure game at the net to edge out his compatriot 7-5 7-6(3).

After a tense first set, Tsonga broke decisively in game 11 to snatch the opening set with a stunning forehand passing shot, and after the second set went with serve the world number 12 claimed the tie-break 7-3 when Llodra crumbled, double-faulting to give his opponent a 4-3 lead. Tsonga took the next two points before ending the match with his 11th ace.

Fourth-seeded Tsonga, who won the South African Open two weeks ago, kept his cool under pressure from Llodra at the net to seal victory in under two hours.

“He puts you under a lot of pressure,” Tsonga, who now has four ATP titles under his belt, said afterwards. “It’s quite hard to stay focused and hit passing shots.”

“He was stronger, today,” said Llodra. “It was down to a few points, I did not serve well enough.”

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