Twenty-nine aces, forty-eight winners, eighty-four minutes: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga delivered a magnificent victory over Fernando Gonzalez today, beating the Chilean 6-3 6-4 6-3.
After a battle royale in his previous match against Grigor Dimitrov, the 12th seed showed no signs of slowing down. In fact, he hit another level entirely. The spectators who packed Court No. 2 for an encounter between two of the most explosive shot-makers in the game couldn't have resented the one-sided score, not when Tsonga was treating them to a serve and forehand master class. Taking an early break to go up 4-2 in the first set, Tsonga won that in 22 minutes and went on to win 21 straight points on serve to earn an early break in the second set. By the middle of the second set, the Frenchman was serving at an unbelievable 90 percent.
Gonzalez, unable to read Tsonga’s exceptional serve, had done himself proud in reaching the third round; he played at The Championships with a protected ranking after knee injuries and then right hip surgery caused him to miss large chunks of 2009 and almost all of the 2010 and 2011 seasons. But even his famous forehand availed him nothing against Tsonga’s dazzling display of power tennis. Giving up a break in the second set after Tsonga unerringly targeted his weaker backhand, Gonzalez managed to save three set points on his serve—one with the help of Hawkeye after it indicated a cross-court forehand was in by a literal millimeter—but was mainly reduced to staring helplessly. Tsonga hit two aces and two unreturnable serves to take the second set, 6-4.
In every Tsonga match, one watches for the inevitable walkabout, which against top-class opposition usually signals the beginning of the end. It came in his first service game in the third set, in which a double fault and a couple of stray backhands gave Gonzalez three break points. The whole thing might have turned around then, giving us a chance for another of Gonzalez’s patented five-set Slam comebacks, had he not put a very makeable forehand into the net on the first. But net it he did, and Tsonga saved the next two with big first serves. After that, Tsonga didn’t look back, hitting his 36th winner of the match for two break points, taking the first as Gonzalez framed a shot. The remaining six games were simply a stunning exhibition of Tsonga’s best tennis, reaching its apotheosis when he hit a remarkable one-handed, cross-court backhand winner with Gonzalez at net to reach deuce on Gonzo’s serve. Two points later, it was over.
This was the best match I’ve seen Tsonga play since his 2008 run to the Australian Open final, and one almost wishes he had saved it for later in the tournament. It would be impossible to keep up such an elevated level, but if he plays anything like it against the tougher opposition that awaits—David Ferrer, and then perhaps an encounter with Roger Federer in the quarters—it will take something truly special to stop him.
—Hannah Wilks