PARIS: World number seven Jo-Wilfried Tsonga took a step closer to qualifying for the ATP World Tour Finals with a 6-2 4-6 7-6 win ovetr Julien Benneteau at the Paris Masters this morning, Reuters reported.

Tsonga (pic) is leading the race for the final two places for next week’s season-ending tournament in London and needs only to reach the quarter-finals in Paris to secure his place in London, irrespective of what nearest rivals Janko Tipsarevic and Richard Gasquet achieve.

But last year’s Paris Masters runner-up was made to work hard for his second-round victory over compatriot Benneteau, who came back strongly in the second set.

"In the third set I believe I was in a different state of mind. I had other intentions and it worked out for me," said Tsonga.

"Maybe things went my way. Sometimes against Julien I serve very hard and the ball comes back to me even faster. It was just a first (second) round and it was against Julien. He had nothing to lose. He was hitting hard.

"In the end I won, and this is what I will remember."

Tsonga looked firmly in control after breaking twice to take the first set. But a lapse of concentration in the second set saw Benneteau strike back before a tense final set edged towards a tie-break.

A Tsonga match is not complete without some late drama, however, as he grabbed the break that allowed him to serve for the match, only to throw in a poor game and gift the break back to Benneteau immediately.

There was even a slightly controversial call as a Tsonga serve was called out only to be overturned on a hawkeye challenge with Benneteau believing the point should be replayed despite his return being dumped into the net.

But, with the rules stating the umpire can use discretion in these cases, Mohamed Layhani decided that the “fault” call had nothing to do with Benneteau’s failed return and awarded the point, and the game, to the younger of the two Frenchman.

Benneteau spent much of the changeover ranting at Layhani but ensured the call did not decide the match as he raced through a love service hold to force the tie-break, only to collapse in the breaker and allow Tsonga to ease to victory.

Czech Tomas Berdych, the fifth seed who has already secured his London berth, started slowly against Andreas Seppi but eventually sealed a 7-6 6-2 win.

He will next face either France's Gasquet, the 12th seed, or South African Kevin Anderson.

Earlier qualifier Jerry Janowicz shocked 13th seed Marin Cilic in the second round and could face Andy Murray in the last 16.

The Pole triumphed 7-6 6-2 in a match lasting an hour and 26 minutes.

With 50 places separating 65th-ranked Janowicz from Cilic, the Croatian was overwhelming favourite despite Janowicz's shock win over world number 19 Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first round.

There were no breaks of serve or indeed break points in a first set which saw the players evenly matched.

Cilic was a mini-break up in the tiebreak at 3-1 but the 6'8" Pole, who sent down nine aces to 6'6" Cilic's six, came back to take it 8-6.

Cilic suffered a meltdown on serve in the second set, getting only 44 per cent of his first serves in compared with his opponent's 84.

That saw Janowicz break twice while Cilic failed to get close to breaking back.

It was the 21-year-old's first victory over a top-15 player.

Cilic won on the grass of Queen's and the clay of Umag this year and has eight ATP titles to date.

Andy Murray will play Paul-Henri Mathieu in the second round after the Frenchman beat Roberto Bautista 6-4 7-5. The winner of that match will face Janowicz in round three.

 

- mD

 

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