By Alberto Amalfi | Saturday, August 6, 2016
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga rallied past cramping opponent Malek Jaziri, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, while 118th-ranked Taro Daniel shocked an ill Jack Sock in Olympic openers.
Photo credit: ITF Olympic Tennis
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga dangled on the ledge of loss in the second set. Tsonga found his footing bouncing back into the second round of the Rio Olympics.
Malek Jaziri served for the match at 5-4 in the second set before Tsonga stormed back for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory.
The fourth-seeded Frenchman will face either Gilles Muller or Jerzy Janowicz in the second round.
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Serving for the match, Jaziri lined up a backhand sitter with Tsonga vulnerable at net. Instead of driving the ball down the line, Jaziri played cross-court. Tsonga was waiting and knocked off a volley for break point. A ripping forehand return helped the Frenchman break back for 5-all.
Tsonga, who partnered Michael Llodra to win the silver medal in doubles at the 2012 Olympics in London, ran off the final three games of the second set to level.
The 59th-ranked Tunisian, who took treatment for a leg injury, earned the first break point at 3-all in the decider. Tsonga vaporized an inside-out forehand to save it then banged an ace and serve winner for 4-3.
In the ensuing game, Jaziri began experiencing apparent hand cramps in his right hand. Trying to stretch his fingers between points, Jaziri missed a backhand then double faulted to face double break point.
Tsonga made a slick half-volley pick-up to set up a volley winner, breaking for 5-3. Tsonga slid an ace down the middle to cap an escape act win.
Illness pained Jack Sock then Taro Daniel drained him.
The 118th-ranked Daniel dismantled a sluggish Sock, 6-4, 6-4, in the opening round of the Rio Olympics.
The 14th-seeded Sock was the first seed to fall on the men's side.
Daniel was born in New York City, resides in Valencia, Spain and looked completely comfortable in his Olympic debut.
The 23-year-old wild card pulled off the biggest win over his career and barely looked stress completing the job.
Daniel broke first, typically took the ball earlier and punished Sock's weaker backhand wing.
The only sign of nerves came on Daniel's first match point when he double faulted.
On his second match point, Daniel worked the ball around the court and closed when Sock slapped one final forehand into net.
Sock said he's been suffering from the walking pneumonia, which left him listless during the match.
"He played a great match, credit to him," Sock told Bravo Network afterward. "He's a tough opponent. He plays every point hard, doesn't miss a lot. "I had walking pneumonia. I still tried to battle out of it. I was coughing a lot and was having trouble breathing. Credit from him. He played a great match. I didn't want to miss my first Olympics with something like that. I came down and tried to battle and I think that might have gotten a little bit of me today. But definitely all credit to him."
Sock, who said he has struggled with the virus since Wimbledon, plans to remain in Rio and play doubles with Steve Johnson.
"If I had any sort of symptoms, illness, whatever it was I was going to play here no matter what," Sock said. "(I will) keep fighting, trying to get better. We're only allowed to take so much (medication) so I'm just trying to get rest and get it out of my lungs. It's something I've had since Wimbledon."
Daniel, who posted his first career Grand Slam win defeating Martin Klizan at Roland Garros earlier this season, will face Kyle Edmund in the second round.
Edmund was a 6-4, 6-2 victor over Australia's Jordan Thompson.
Marin Cilic turned a highly-anticipated first-round clash into a rout, rolling former Wimbledon semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov, 6-1, 6-4.
"The experience is sensational," Cilic told ITFTennis.com afterward. "I really enjoy to be here and I have to say the volunteers and the people working here are the nicest people I see and they are always smiling and that makes the Olympic spirit even better."
The ninth-seeded Croatian didn't have much time to celebrate: He was scheduled to take the court with doubles partner Marin Draganja later today to face world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Nenad Zimonjic.
Kei Nishikori carved up Albert Ramos-Vinolas, 6-2, 6-4, pulling off the most astounding shot of the first round in the process.
The fourth-seeded Japanese will face Australian John Millman in round two.
Millman made Olympic history becoming the first man—in singles or doubles—to dish out a double bagel in the Games with a 6-0, 6-0 shutout of Ricardas Berankis.
No. 12-seeded Steve Johnson stopped Darian King, 6-3, 6-2. No. 15-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon edged Borna Coric,6-4, 7-6 (1). Simon will play Japan's Yuichi Sugita, a 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 victor over American Brian Baker.
No. 13-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber rallied for a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 triumph over Guido Pella.