Metz (AFP)
After a subdued US tour, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (61st worldwide) qualified for the Moselle Open final by beating in two sets (7-6, 7-6) and 1h50 his compatriot Lucas Pouille (26th) , Saturday in Metz.
In the final, the tricolor will face Slovenian Aljaz Bedene (76th), winner of the French Benoît Paire (23rd, N3), 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. The Manceau will seek his fourth crown in Moselle and the 19th title of his career.
Throughout the tournament, Tsonga confirmed that he had regained the form that allowed him to win in early September the Challenger tournament in Cassis (France), after a complicated summer. During the US tour, the French had reached the round of 16 in Washington, but had also suffered two eliminations in the first round in Montreal and the US Open.
Opposite Puglia, the match was very tight, with little possibility of break (one for Apulia at 3-3 in the first leg) but Tsonga, realistic, has made the difference in the decisive games. In the first, he saved a first set ball before transforming the next (8-6). In the second, he got two match points at 6-4 and converted the first of a winning service (7-4).
After a white year 2018, spoiled by injuries, Tsonga returned to victory in Montpellier tournament in February. He will play Sunday in Metz his fifth final Moselle Open for three victories in this event (2011, 12, 15).
Monday, at the next ATP ranking, Tsonga will find again the top 50 world.
In the first semifinal of the tournament, the Frenchman Benoît Paire (23rd at ATP and N3), who had however removed the first set, was not really able to defend his chances against the Slovenian Aljaz Bedene (76th). Touched by a virus, he is feverish and on medication, which will delay his departure to Asia. Despite his good start, he quickly lost his tennis and the game in three sets (4-6, 6-1, 6-2) and 1:31.
© 2019 AFP