Jo-Wilfried Tsonga stops Go to reach third round
The 2008 runner-up was made to work hard for his 6-3, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 win over 73rd-ranked Soeda in 2hr 3min in hot temperatures on Margaret Court Arena.
Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overcame a mid-match stumble against Japan's Go Soeda before taking his place in the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday.
The 2008 runner-up was made to work hard for his 6-3, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 win over 73rd-ranked Soeda in 2hr 3min in hot temperatures on Margaret Court Arena.
It was seventh-seeded Tsonga's second victory in straight sets in the tournament and puts him in the last 32 where he will face an unseeded opponent, Australian James Duckworth or Slovenia's Blaz Kavcic.
Tsonga began well in the opening set but encountered stiffer resistance in the second set from Soeda, who broke the Frenchman's serve in the second game before he gave up the break with a forced error in the ninth.
Tsonga was on song in the tiebreaker, ripping through with two mini-breaks before clinching it on the back of a 24-stroke rally.
It was plain sailing in the final set for the Frenchman with a break in the sixth game, and he finished the match with 17 aces and 44 winners.
"Go is a good player, he plays flat and didn't give me any rhythm and I'm pleased to go through in straight sets," said Tsonga, who now leads Go 3-0 in their matches.