By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, January 17, 2018
Down 3-5 in the decider, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga reeled off the final four games—including successive breaks—to scrape into the Australian Open third round for the 10th time.
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
Deep into a fifth-set fight with feisty teenager Denis Shapovalov, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga confronted a speeding return with a hopping tweener.
After three-and-a-half hours of physical play, Tsonga showed life in his legs and spunk in his step pulling off a pulsating comeback.
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Down 3-5 in the decider, Tsonga reeled off the final four games—including successive breaks—staving off Shapovalov, 3-6, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5, to scrape into the Australian Open third round for the 10th time.
Tsonga snapped a three-match losing streak in five-set matches avenging a straight-sets loss to the Canadian qualifier in the 2017 US Open second round.
It is Tsonga’s first five-set triumph since he held off John Isner in the third round of the 2016 Wimbledon.
In his Australian Open debut, the 18-year-old Shapovalov outplayed the powerful Frenchman for much of this match.
Shapovalov hit more aces (11 to 9), more winners (60 to 50) and broke serve more times (four to three), but when his moment of truth arrived, the 18-year-old blinked serving for the match producing one of his tightest games.
Exuding more energy, Shapovalov's speed around the court and his skill curling his crosscourt lefty forehand into Tsonga's weaker backhand wing helped the world No. 50 speed through the opening set.
Tsonga jammed an early return down the line, Shapovalov pasted backhand into net as Tsonga broke for a 4-2 second-set lead he did not relinquish.
Everytime Tsonga closed the gap, Shapovalov surged ahead. Bolting a backhand down the line, Shapovalov broke to start third set with a bang and then broke again for 5-1 third-set lead.
Curling a slider serve out wide, the Canadian earned double set point. A disinterested Tsonga flailed a forehand return wide as Shapovalov gained a two sets to one lead after one hour, 47 minutes.
Opening the fourth-set tie break with a serve off the line, Tsonga powered out to a 5-1 lead then rocketed a 135 mph ace down the middle for triple set point. Tsonga laced an inside-out forehand to force the final set.
Elation from the fourth-set tie break turned to deflation for the Frenchman in the fith set.
Shapovalov stung a forehand pass for break point then jammed a backhand return into the corner, drawing an error to break for a 2-0 lead in the final set. The left-hander dug in with determination working through a deuce hold to extend to 4-3.
Serving for the match at 5-3, Shapovalov blinked. Two bungled backhands and a double fault put him in a double break point bind. Tsonga carved out a slick volley securing the break and leaping in the air exhorting the crowd to make more noise.
An andrenalized Tsonga even pulled off a hopping tweener off a ripped return then slid a forehand down the line holding to forge a 5-all deadlock.
A rattled Shapovalov slapped a shot into net to face break point in the 11th game. Reading the wide serve, Tsonga hammered a diagonal return rushing the teenager into sailing a forehand as the Frenchman broke for the second straight game and a 6-5 lead after three hours, 33 minutes.
Thumping an ace for championship point, Tsonga closed with a slick serve and volley winner closing in three hours, 37 minutes and bopping around the court in an eruption of joy.
The 2008 finalist will face either 17th-seeded Nick Kyrgios or Viktor Troicki for a spot in the fourth round.