Wawrinka knocks out Tsonga to advance to Australian Open semis
Melbourne, Jan 24 (IANS) Swiss tennis player Stan Wawrinka defeated Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-3 in the men’s singles quarter-finals of the Australian Open here on Tuesday.
Fourth seed Wawrinka advances to the semi-finals, where he will face compatriot Roger Federer, reports Efe.
It was the first time the two players faced each other in a Grand Slam match outside the French Open, with Tsonga was hoping to end the run of the three consecutive defeats he had suffered against the Swiss since they played in Madrid in 2013.
Tsonga, 12th seed and a finalist in Melbourne in 2008, suffered a straight sets defeat in a tense encounter that lasted two hours and 15 minutes.
“It’s not easy to play against him,” Wawrinka said, according to the Association of Tennis Professionals’ (ATP) official website, after advancing to the semis of a Grand Slam for the eighth time.
“He’s a strong player. I think conditions were quite fast today (and) it was a bit windy. So not easy to control”.
“I started to move a bit better, to be a bit more aggressive from the first shot, and I think that made the difference,” he added.