Tsonga races into 2nd round
June 29, 2017 | 11:28 AM
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in action during his first round match against France’s Adrian Mannarino at the Aegon Tennis Championships in London Monday. — Reuters
June 29, 2017 | 11:28 AM
Last Updated: June 29, 2017 | 11:29 AM
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LONDON —
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga got back on track after his French Open nightmare as the world No. 10 eased into the Queen’s Club second round with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Adrian Mannarino Monday.
Tsonga’s strong start to his grass-court campaign was the perfect way to erase the painful memory of an embarrassing first round exit against unheralded Argentine Renzo Olivo on the clay at Roland Garros.
That was the first time Tsonga had lost in the opening round of a Grand Slam in 35 appearances, but there was no hangover in the west London sunshine as he brushed aside fellow Frenchman Mannarino in just 66 minutes.
Fifth seeded Tsonga, a Queen’s runner-up in 2011, won the first set after securing the key break at the end of a marathon sixth game, despite a worrying tumble when he slipped after making a shot behind the baseline.
Shaking off that injury scare, the 32-year-old won seven games in a row and even found time to high-five a ball girl as he avenged his loss to Mannarino in Monte Carlo earlier this year.
Tsonga, who has won titles in Lyon, Marseille and Rotterdam in 2017, will play Gilles Muller or Nikoloz Basilashvili in the second round of the Wimbledon warm-up event.
Grigor Dimitrov is another who excels on grass and the Bulgarian world number 11 cruised into the second round with a 6-3, 6-1 win against Ryan Harrison of the United States.
Dimitrov is the only player other than reigning champion Andy Murray to win the Queen’s title in the last four years and he looks in the mood to push the world number one for the crown this year after crushing Harrison in 54 minutes.
The 26-year-old, who made the Australian Open semi-finals in January, faces French qualifier Julien Benneteau or British wild card James Ward in the last 16.
Federer finetunes
Wimbledon assault in Halle
Roger Federer is in action at Halle this week as the Swiss legend puts the finishing touches to his assault on an eighth Wimbledon title.
Federer, who made his comeback after skipping the entire clay court season at Stuttgart last week, faces Lu Yen-hsun, Taiwan’s world No. 73 Tuesday.
The ring-rusty 18-time Grand slam winner was knocked out in the first round in Stuttgart to 39-year-old Tommy Haas.
Haas, a former world number two but now down at 302, won 2-6, 7-6 (10/8), 6-4 for just his fourth victory in 17 meetings against his close friend.
It was just the second defeat of 2017 for the 35-year-old Federer, who claimed the Australian Open for his 18th major in January.
Federer, aiming for a ninth title at Halle, has won all three of his match-ups against Lu.
He turns up in the Westfalen town after recharging his batteries at home in Switzerland.
“I’ve got high hopes of playing better here than in Stuttgart last week,” the world number five said, adding that he was “in 100 percent form for the grass season”.
The 35-year-old followed up his Australian Open triumph with wins at Indian Wells and Miami, before taking a two and a half month ‘time-out’ to ensure he was fit and fresh for Wimbledon.
If he gets past Lu, Federer could face Mischa Zverev in the second round.
Zverev’s 20-year-old younger brother Alexander, German Tennis’ latest prodigy and world No. 12, opens his tournament against Italy’s Paolo Lorenzi.
Japan’s Kei Nishikori, beaten in the French Open quarterfinals by eventual winner Rafael Nadal, opens against Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.
France’s Lucas Pouille arrives in Halle hot foot from his success on the grass at Stuttgart Sunday where he came from behind to beat Spain’s Feliciano Lopez.
The 23-year-old, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals last season, plays local hope Jan-Lennard Struff, the German he beat in the first round last week.
Azarenka set for
‘new part of career’
Former world No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam title winner Victoria Azarenka returns to Tennis after a year’s absence this week, claiming “I’m ready for a new part of my career”.
The 27-year-old Azarenka hasn’t played since the 2016 French Open, taking time out to give birth to her first child Leo.
“My life has taken a 180-degree turn but I have not lost my competitive spirit,” the Belarusian told reporters at the Mallorca Open on Sunday.
“Here begins a new part of my career.”
Azarenka, the 2012 and 2013 Australian Open champion, gave birth to Leo in December last year.
Her absence from the tour means she is without a world ranking and required a wild card to get into the Mallorca event which starts Monday.
She faces Risa Ozaki of Japan in the first round of the grass court tournament which will be Azarenka’s only competitive event before Wimbledon gets underway on July 3. — Agencies
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga got back on track after his French Open nightmare as the world No. 10 eased into the Queen’s Club second round with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Adrian Mannarino Monday.
Tsonga’s strong start to his grass-court campaign was the perfect way to erase the painful memory of an embarrassing first round exit against unheralded Argentine Renzo Olivo on the clay at Roland Garros.
That was the first time Tsonga had lost in the opening round of a Grand Slam in 35 appearances, but there was no hangover in the west London sunshine as he brushed aside fellow Frenchman Mannarino in just 66 minutes.
Fifth seeded Tsonga, a Queen’s runner-up in 2011, won the first set after securing the key break at the end of a marathon sixth game, despite a worrying tumble when he slipped after making a shot behind the baseline.
Shaking off that injury scare, the 32-year-old won seven games in a row and even found time to high-five a ball girl as he avenged his loss to Mannarino in Monte Carlo earlier this year.
Tsonga, who has won titles in Lyon, Marseille and Rotterdam in 2017, will play Gilles Muller or Nikoloz Basilashvili in the second round of the Wimbledon warm-up event.
Grigor Dimitrov is another who excels on grass and the Bulgarian world number 11 cruised into the second round with a 6-3, 6-1 win against Ryan Harrison of the United States.
Dimitrov is the only player other than reigning champion Andy Murray to win the Queen’s title in the last four years and he looks in the mood to push the world number one for the crown this year after crushing Harrison in 54 minutes.
The 26-year-old, who made the Australian Open semi-finals in January, faces French qualifier Julien Benneteau or British wild card James Ward in the last 16.
Federer finetunes
Wimbledon assault in Halle
Roger Federer is in action at Halle this week as the Swiss legend puts the finishing touches to his assault on an eighth Wimbledon title.
Federer, who made his comeback after skipping the entire clay court season at Stuttgart last week, faces Lu Yen-hsun, Taiwan’s world No. 73 Tuesday.
The ring-rusty 18-time Grand slam winner was knocked out in the first round in Stuttgart to 39-year-old Tommy Haas.
Haas, a former world number two but now down at 302, won 2-6, 7-6 (10/8), 6-4 for just his fourth victory in 17 meetings against his close friend.
It was just the second defeat of 2017 for the 35-year-old Federer, who claimed the Australian Open for his 18th major in January.
Federer, aiming for a ninth title at Halle, has won all three of his match-ups against Lu.
He turns up in the Westfalen town after recharging his batteries at home in Switzerland.
“I’ve got high hopes of playing better here than in Stuttgart last week,” the world number five said, adding that he was “in 100 percent form for the grass season”.
The 35-year-old followed up his Australian Open triumph with wins at Indian Wells and Miami, before taking a two and a half month ‘time-out’ to ensure he was fit and fresh for Wimbledon.
If he gets past Lu, Federer could face Mischa Zverev in the second round.
Zverev’s 20-year-old younger brother Alexander, German Tennis’ latest prodigy and world No. 12, opens his tournament against Italy’s Paolo Lorenzi.
Japan’s Kei Nishikori, beaten in the French Open quarterfinals by eventual winner Rafael Nadal, opens against Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.
France’s Lucas Pouille arrives in Halle hot foot from his success on the grass at Stuttgart Sunday where he came from behind to beat Spain’s Feliciano Lopez.
The 23-year-old, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals last season, plays local hope Jan-Lennard Struff, the German he beat in the first round last week.
Azarenka set for
‘new part of career’
Former world No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam title winner Victoria Azarenka returns to Tennis after a year’s absence this week, claiming “I’m ready for a new part of my career”.
The 27-year-old Azarenka hasn’t played since the 2016 French Open, taking time out to give birth to her first child Leo.
“My life has taken a 180-degree turn but I have not lost my competitive spirit,” the Belarusian told reporters at the Mallorca Open on Sunday.
“Here begins a new part of my career.”
Azarenka, the 2012 and 2013 Australian Open champion, gave birth to Leo in December last year.
Her absence from the tour means she is without a world ranking and required a wild card to get into the Mallorca event which starts Monday.
She faces Risa Ozaki of Japan in the first round of the grass court tournament which will be Azarenka’s only competitive event before Wimbledon gets underway on July 3. — Agencies
