Novak Djokovic’s coronation as the new ATP No. 1 will have to wait.
Wimbledon Live Scores: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Saves Two Match Points, Wins Third Set
No. 12 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga took the third set of the Wimbledon 2011 men’s semifinal 7-6(9) over No. 2 Novak Djokovic, winning a set that featured an absurd number of rallies that ended with both players lying on the ground.
Djokovic served for the match at 6-5, but was broken by strong Tsonga returns and net play. Tsonga had previously broken Djokovic for the first time in the match at 4-3 in the third.
Interestingly, each time before he was broken, Djokovic took off his hat, which he had previously worn for the entire match. With how superstitious tennis players are, it was an odd change to what had been a successful formula.
A hatless Djokovic held two match points in the third set tiebreak, but powerful serving from Tsonga gave him little chance to capitalize on either.
Tsonga secured the crucial minibreak at 9-9 in the breaker with a deep return that jammed Djokovic’s forehand, and was able to clinch the set a point later on his serve, taking the breaker 11-9.
As you’ll remember, Tsonga also trailed two sets to none against No. 3 Roger Federer in the quarterfinals before winning the final three sets to pull off the upset. He’s a third of the way to making that happen again.
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