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1/24/08 7:55 PM | Ricky Dimon
Unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga puts on a memorable display of near-flawless tennis to pull off his fourth huge upset of the tournament, this time in the semifinals over second-seeded Rafael Nadal.
A star was born yesterday in Melbourne, Australia. His name is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Well-known for its uncanny ability to produce surprise Grand Slam finalists, the Australian Open delivered once again in the semifinals on Thursday night, as the 22-year-old Tsonga manhandled Rafael Nadal in straight sets 6-2, 6-3, 6-2. The Frenchman overwhelmed his favored opponent in all facets of the game, using his powerful serve and forehand to get into the net, where he showed a brilliant touch that resulted in drop shots and angles not even the fastest player in the sport could track down.
Tsonga was on fire from the very beginning. In the first set he pounded 17 winners past Nadal, including three aces, while committing just eight unforced errors. He did not face one break point against his serve, converted both of his break point opportunities on Nadal’s serve, and won 10 of 12 of his net points. The only question after the dominant first set was if it was humanly possible for Tsonga to sustain this level of play.
Tsonga answered that question quickly and convincingly in the affirmative. By the time he was through disposing of the Spaniard, Tsonga had blasted 49 winners and he had sprayed only 27 errors despite playing ridiculously aggressive tennis. Keep in mind that’s not just 49 winners; that’s 49 winners against Rafael Nadal, a near impossible feat to accomplish in merely three quick sets. Tsonga also crushed 17 aces while serving at a solid 63-percent clip for the match.
Nadal, meanwhile, did not play poorly; not at all. In fact he finished with more winners than unforced errors (13 to 12) despite being under constant attack from Tsonga. The three-time Grand Slam champion simply could not do anything in the face of such an in-the-zone opponent. As indicated by the fact that Tsonga fired almost four times as many winners (and more than twice as many unforced errors), the charismatic and suddenly well-known youngster completely dictated play and left Nadal at his mercy throughout the night.
Following in the footsteps of recent Australian Open surprises Petr Korda, Rainer Schuettler, Marcos Baghdatis, and Fernando Gonazlez (among others), Tsonga advances to his first-ever Grand Slam final, where he will face either No. 1 Roger Federer or third-seeded Novak Djokovic. He has never faced either player.
Nothing like making your first-ever ATP title match at the Australian Open
Nothing you can say but bad luck for Rafael Nadal. Like Andy Roddick against Philipp Kohlschreiber, he simply ran into a player who could not be stopped
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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Rafael Nadal
Australian Open
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