Jo-Wilfried Tsonga reaches second round of Monte Carlo Masters
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga registered a hard-fought 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 victory over German Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first round of Monte Carlo Masters.
- Agence France-Presse
- Updated: April 16, 2014 09:41 AM IST
Ninth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga booked the first of the second-round spots at the Monte Carlo Masters on Tuesday in a hard-fought 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 victory over German Philipp Kohlschreiber. (Click here for latest on Tennis)
Tsonga needed just under two hours to go through in front of an enthusiastic crowd, with the seed taking a medical timeout on the way to finally securing victory on his third match point. (Also read: Injured Gasquet out of Monte Carlo Masters)
The winner managed four aces and broke Kohlschreiber twice from seven chances. He now leads the series against the German number one 7-1, with his only loss occurring in 2009. (Related: Djokovic eases into third round)
Tsonga turned in a welcome victory for France after two compatriots enjoyed mixed fortunes in the first round at the Monte Carlo Country Club.
France's Julian Benneteau advanced over Austrian Jurgen Melzer 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 but Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili handed a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Gilles Simon.
Tsonga is playing the tournament for a fifth time, with a 2013 semi-final his best result at an event the French consider a "home" tie.
The ninth seed continued his tradition of never losing in a Monte Carlo opening match.