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  • Paul-Henri Mathieu (14) vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (17)

    3/17/08 4:05 AM | Cheryl Murray
    - All eyes will be on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, as he faces his first stern test of the tournament. Will he be able to duplicate his Australian Open success?

    Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is on a meteoric rise to the top of the tennis world. At the start of 2007, Tsonga was ranked 212 in the world - he is now number 17 and enjoying status as tennis' new “it” boy. He plowed through the draw at the Australian Open, beating Andy Murray, Richard Gasquet, Mikhail Youzhny and Rafael Nadal on his way to his first Grand Slam final. He was beaten 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-7 (2) by Novak Djokovic.

    He has played only the hard court event in Marseilles between the Australian Open and Indian Wells, where he was handed a first round defeat from Croat power server Mario Ancic. His match on Monday against Paul-Henri Mathieu should give a better indication of whether Tsonga will be able to build on his Australian Open success. He beat his second round opponent, Dudi Sela easily enough, but Mathieu is a tough, seeded player and will give Tsonga his first test of the tournament.

    Tsonga's compatriot Paul Henri Mathieu is having an excellent 2008 season. He reached the round of 16 at the Australian Open, but was forced to withdraw from his match against Rafael Nadal with a leg injury, down 4-6, 0-3. He also had an impressive run in Marseilles, where he reached the semifinals before losing to eventual winner Andy Murray 2-6, 2-6. Mathieu beat Italian clay courter Fabio Fognini to secure his berth in the third round. The two men have never met in an ATP level tournament.

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