Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (ATP 14th) stopped on Friday the best Croatian tennis player Marin Čilić in the quarterfinal of the ATP Tour 500 Series in Rotterdam, defeating him with 7-6 (8), 7-6 (5) after two hours of play
This was Marin’s seventh duel against Tsonga and only the second win for the Frenchman, payback for Tsonga’s defeat in the second round of this tournament three years ago, Jutarnji List reported on February 18, 2017.
Čilić was closer to a break in the first set, but Tsonga managed to save a break point in the third, ninth and eleventh games. In the tie-break the French tennis player lead with 5-1 and at 6-3 had his first set point. But the best Croatian player lined up four points and reached his own set point on his serve. Unfortunately, he did not take the opportunity here nor another at 8-7. With an excellent return at 9-8 Tsonga clinched the first set.
In the second set Čilić lost an opportunity to take the serve from his opponent, saving the only break point Tsonga had in the first game, so the decision was left to the tie-break again. With one mini-break each, Tsonga reached his first match point at 6-5. Čilić controlled the exchange, but the Frenchman managed to stave him off until a miss by the Croat placed him in the semi-finals.
Tsonga will play on Saturday versus Czech Tomaš Berdych, trained by Goran Ivanišević, who defeated in the quarterfinals Slovak Martin Kližan with 6-3, 6-3.
