TENNIS – Stan Wawrinka battled past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3 6-7(1) 7-6(3) 6-4 on a very hot day to qualify for his first French Open final and his second Grand Slam title match since his win at the 2014 Australian Open. Interestingly enough, Wawrinka won the Roland Garros Junior Tournament in 2003. Diego Sampaolo
This was Wawrinka and Tsonga’s 7th encounter with the head-to-head tied 3-3. However, Wawrinka won their last two matches on clay including their most recent matchup in the Davis Cup final in Lille last November. The Swiss player got an early break for 3-1 having saved triple break points in his opening service game. It appeared as though the occasion of being in another major semifinal was too much Tsonga as he was unable to impose himself in the match. Soon Wawrinka had closed out the 1st set 6-3 and up a break 4-2 in the 2nd set.
However, Wawrinka lost his way in the match a bit as he later admitted that the match got both physically and mentally tough. He was treated for blisters. Tsonga sensing that his opponent’s weakness seized upon the opportunity to break Wawrinka and won three consecutive games to go up 5-4. Wawrinka fought off five break point chances for 5-5. The set was forced to a tiebreaker where Tsonga continued with the momentum and fed off the crowd’s energy to take it 7-1 points.
The match was now leveled at a set apiece. In the 3rd set, the momentum was definitely with Tsonga as he had numerous break points on Wawrinka’s serve, 6 in the set to be exact, and he failed to convert on any of them. The set was thus forced to a tiebreaker where Wawrinka earned three set points before clinching the set with 7-3. This 2-1 set advantage squarely put the momentum back in Wawrinka’s corner and this time, he never relinquished it. He broke early in the 4th set and went up 2-0. It was not an easy task maintaining this lead as he saved 6 more break points on his serve. However, he closed out the set 6-4 to take the match 6-3 6-7 7-6 6-4 in 3 hours and 46 minutes.
Wawrinka fended off 16 of the 17 break point chances he faced. He will be looking to equal his compatriot Roger Federer who clinched his only Roland Garros triumph in 2009
“Even when I was really nervous in the third and the fourth sets, I stayed calm and was focused on my game plan. Tennis is an extreme sport in terms of emotions, both positive and negative. You should make the most of these moments and enjoy them fully”, said Wawrinka
Tsonga lost his second semifinal at the Roland Garros in three years. The last French player to play in a Roland Garros final was Henry Leconte in 1988 with the last local champion being Yannick Noah in 1983.
