It was one of the best and most exciting contests of the tournament history at the NOVENTI OPEN in Halle. Roger Federer, record-holding champion of the tournament, wrestled down Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a high-class duel. And wrestled down is the exact definition here for the 7:6(5), 4:6, 7:5.
The match took 2:16 hours, but were as intensive as five hours at a Grand Slam. Who thought Tsonga was still on the lookout for reaching the world’s top after his injurie, is wrong. He has already found his way back. The contest was worthy of being a final and reminded of the great final in Halle between Roger Federer and Marat Safin in 2005: two top contestants playing eye to eye. End open.
But it looked like a secure victory for Federer at the start. He had just won the first set, after falling behind 0:3 in the tie-break. He at once broke in the second round – Tschong was out. Or perhaps not? The man knows how to beat Federer. He, at least, has won six of 17 duels and overall the only one on grass in Wimbledon 2011 – after being two sets down 0:2. Federer might have been reminded of this when the Frenchman (34) re-broke and serviced like there was no tomorrow. Even an ace in his second service didn’t help the Swiss. The atmosphere in the stadium was beyond seeding point when the score was 3:3 in the second round. Tsonga levelled the score when Federer struggled with his service in the tenth game.
The third set then was phenomenally exciting. Both played highly aggressive, served with strength. The Frenchman got 15 aces, the Swiss seven. Tsonga had the first break point, when Federer shot an easy volley into the net. But the Maestro was able to turn the table. Then came the eleventh game: it started with Federer returning a 231 kilometre-quick serve and got a 0:15. A 0:40 followed and the break. He then served at the end, got a match point by a net-roller and finished the roller-coaster game with an ace. 11.500 Fans raved. And the Maestro thought: “The match was so incredible. That was fun.” Tsonga’s had served wonderfully the level was suddenly higher. “Perhaps I was a little luckier than him – and the audience was great. Thanks for that.“
Now Roberto Bautista Agut await Federer. Against him, Federer hasn’t lost in eight matches. But the player from Spain watched most of the match from the ranks. Perhaps he saw discovered some weakness.
