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Tsonga thrashes Ouanna at French Open
5/26/10 5:04 PM | Ricky Dimon
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga rolls past fellow Frenchman Josselin Ouanna on Wednesday at Roland Garros. Tsonga is through to the third round for a meeting with either Thiemo De Bakker or Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga admitted that he was not looking forward to playing one of his friends at Roland Garros. As such, Tsonga made sure it did not last long.
Tsonga destroyed fellow Frenchman Josselin Ouanna 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 in the second round of the French Open and it went as fast as a quick two-set match. This one was a three-setter, yet Tsonga still finished the job in an unheard of one hour and 19 minutes.
The world No. 10 came out firing and lost only four points in his first three service games. He also won all nine of his second-serve return points in the first set and earned breaks in the second, fourth, and sixth games of the match.
After racing through the opening frame of play in 24 minutes, Tsonga pocketed the second in 23 minutes. Ouanna finally got on the scoreboard with a rare service hold, but the 128th-ranked underdog could do nothing against his opponent's serve. Tsonga put in 80 percent of his first offerings in set two and he won 15 of 16 first-serve points.
Ouanna raised his level in the final set, but he continued to be just as hopeless in the return game. Tsonga, who never faced a break point after saving four in the first, dropped a mere three points in his last five service games. The tournament's No. 8 seed fired his ninth ace at 5-4 to seal a convincing victory.
"I would have rather played somebody else and win this way, but it's the way it is," said Tsonga, who finished with 41 winners and 17 unforced errors. "That's the tournament. I didn't even think about my opponent. When I was on the court, it was to play and win. That's all."
Next up for Tsonga in the third round is either Thiemo De Bakker or No. 32 seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
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