News of the day - 2010

Benneteau survives Tsonga

Julien Benneteau is the first to go through to the finals. The Frenchman upset his compatriot Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6(11) 5-7 7-6(3) in 2h57.

It's always a dilemma for the French fans when two of their players face-off. In this case, Tsonga started off with a slight advantage in terms of crowd support, but it was up to him to live up to the expectancies. On the other hand, the challenge for Benneteau was double. Not only did he need to beat a (much) better ranked player than him, but also turn the "people" in his favor.

So despite the odds, the favorites and the forecasts, both players came out on court with the clear desire to play well. Especially in Jo's case, who has yet to play to his level this week. He was the first to have a chance to go ahead with a break opportunity at 2-2, but Benneteau was able to erase it thanks to a solid first serve to the body. At 4-4, and again on the serve of "Bennet", Tsonga had two non-consecutive break points. The first was saved with a put away volley, but on the second, and with a little of help form the net, Tsonga's sliced forehand return surprised Benneteau forcing the error on the lower ranked of the two players.
The top ten player, only needed to serve out the set. Easier said then done. "JW" saved one break point but not two, and Benneteau leveled the match at five all.
Two games later it was "money time" : the first set tie-breaker. The first to get a mini break was Benneteau at 3-3 on an unforced error from the Tsonga forehand. A shot, it must be said, that the big man from Le Mans struggled with since the beginning of the week. He, however, got his mini-break back thanks to a double fault served at 5-3 from Benneteau. Two points later, Tsonga was up 6-5 and was returning for the set. "Bennet" saved with a winner first serve at 199km/h followed by a "come on!". It was then Benneteau's turn to return for the set but Tsonga send a missile (196) and another (222) to go up 8-7. An ace took care of that set point. At 9-8, JW was the first of the two to get a set point while serving, which he was unable to convert with what looked like an easy forehand approach. Down 9-10, "Ju" saved another set point (the fourth). It was then Jo's turn to save one, tiying the breaker at 11. With another unforced error on the forehand, Tsonga literally gave a set point to Benneteau, the first on his serve. Unlike his opponent, Benneteau converted but, it is true with the help of Tsonga's, very sloppy backhand. So after an 1h07, Benneteau went up a set against all odds.

The loss of the first set took a toll on Tsonga's mental health. The 2008 Australian Open runner-up, was broken at love. Bennetau followed up with a break consolidation in which he only lost one point. Tsonga eventually got on the board but already down a break. Two games later, the top French player broke back thanks to slight let down from Benneteau. In the very next game the man from Bourg-en-Bress placed a sweet heart of a drop shot that awarded him a break point. Dismissed by a supersonic ace. Thanks to an unexpected hawk eye overrule, Tsonga saved a second break point, but not the third after a "tweeted" drop shot from big Jo that was punished with a back hand down the line.
After a solid service game, he went on to lead 4-2. Both players held their serve and it was up to the older but lower ranked of the two, up 5-4 to serve out the match. A task which he was unable to achieve. Instead, Tsonga broke back and the momentum seemed to have shifted. After a three game winning streak, Tsonga, on his third set point sent the match to at third set after two hours of play.

Down 2-3 in the third, Julien, playing catch-up tennis saved a break point, but Tsonga seemed on top of his game now and most definitely a different player then he was in the first two. Up 5-4, Tsonga got himself to 30 all and two points away from the win. Unfortunately for him, "Bennet" held. In fact the both held and the match was decided on a final tie breaker. Tsonga lost his serve on the opening point giving Benneteau a minibreak from the top. But "Jo" immediately broke back putting things back on serve. The next two points, on Tsonga's serve went to Benneteau, the more aggressive player of the two. He quickly went up 6-1 and five match points. The first two were saved by two aces, but on the third, Tsonga's return sailed out and that was all she wrote.