Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, three-time winner of the Open 13 Provence (2009, 2013, 2017), defeated Spain's Feliciano Lopez 3-6 6-4 7-5 (2h07).
It was a difficult first round for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga against the Toledo native. And as expected, the Spaniard's game was true to his 24 years on the circuit from the start: no rhythm during or between points, a big first ball and in particular a lot of aces, and finally a maximum amount of time taken between points while waiting for the break. This was exactly the scenario at the beginning of the match. The break in favour of the Spaniard came early, a break that was enough for him to be in the lead at the end of the first set. Tsonga, on the other hand, has not yet reached his cruising speed but, like a good diesel, he is warming up and is in much better shape as the second set begins.
It was at the beginning of the set that Jo found the break point. Just like his opponent of the day, when Jo breaks and serves well behind, it is very difficult to come back on him to regain the score. And this is true even if your name is Feliciano Lopez. The second set thus turned in favour of the Frenchman who equalised at 1 set to 1, with a final set in sight that already promises to be a duel of servers.
Bingo, up to 5-5, the waiters win their set. But Jo shows strong signs of motivation, like running to his bench, shaking his fist, encouraging himself. In contrast, Lopez seems more frustrated. He gets annoyed and is not satisfied with his performance. At 5-5, the Spaniard, who has never beaten Tsonga in the five matches they have played in the past, becomes tense. And it shows in his game. The result: not a first and two unforced errors that gave the 2008 Australian Open finalist a white break at the worst possible moment. Two aces from Tsonga later and, finally, a very big first ball that forces a direct fault on match point: it's done!
The happiness Tsonga displayed once he had won spoke volumes about his state of mind. His last victory on the circuit was at the Paris Masters 1000 in? 2019. It's easy to understand his joy!
