Sunday 27 September 2015

Tennis:Jo-Wilfried Tsonga wins all-French final against Gilles Simon at Moselle Open


Jo-Wilfried Tsonga collected his 12th ATP title after defeating fellow Frenchman Gilles Simon in the Moselle Open final.

The pair had previously met in the 2013 final when Simon claimed the title, but he surrendered a crucial early break in the deciding set and his third-seeded opponent sealed a 7-6 (7-5) 1-6 6-2 victory.

Tsonga was made to work for the opening set, misfiring 20 forehands, and also saved six break points before taking the tie-break.

In the second set, Simon staged a comeback as he claimed the first five games and levelled the match after another wayward forehand from Tsonga.

But the former Australian Open runner-up found his range in the decider, breaking for a 3-1 lead before sealing victory when Simon's forehand bounced out following a net cord.    

"I am very happy, it was a big first set," said Tsonga. "It's always tricky to play against Gilles, the ball always comes back."

A disappointed Simon admitted he made costly mistakes at crucial stages of the match.

"He was more solid than me on the important points, especially in the first set," said the second seed.

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