Djokovic upset by Tsonga in Rogers Cup 3rd round

Image
AP Toronto
Last Updated : Aug 08 2014 | 10:15 AM IST
Top-ranked Novak Djokovic was upset by 13th-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Thursday in the Rogers Cup, falling 6-2, 6-2 in only 63 minutes in the third round.
Second-seeded Roger Federer narrowly avoided another upset, edging Marin Cilic 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-4. Djokovic came in with 11 straight wins over Tsonga but was nowhere near adding a 12th.
"Just nothing was going," Djokovic said. "No baseline, no serve, no return. So just generally (a) very bad day, very poor performance."
Tsonga's serve gave Djokovic plenty of trouble. The Frenchman had only eight aces, but Djokovic continually struggled to keep his returns in play.
Serving on match point, Tsonga won when Djokovic's return went wide. Tsonga did some shadow boxing and jumped up and down before waving to a receptive crowd.
"It's not every day you get the rewards of what you're doing every day during the year," he said. "You leave your family, practice every day hard, suffer a lot on the court. And when you win a match like this, you just feel good."
Djokovic never looked comfortable in Toronto, his first tournament since winning Wimbledon last month. Four days later, he married his longtime girlfriend. On Wednesday, Djokovic needed three tough sets to outlast Gael Monfils 6-2, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2) in the second round.
"I wasn't hitting the ball clean and a lot of unforced errors," said Djokovic, who beat Tsonga in the 2008 Australian Open final for his first major title. "It's maybe (a) lack of matches on this surface and, well, it takes time. Let's just say it's going to be better, I'm sure."
Tsonga will play eighth-seeded Andy Murray in the quarterfinals. Murray advanced when third-round opponent Richard Gasquet withdrew because of an abdominal strain. Djokovic's loss was the second big upset of the day. Third-seeded Stan Wawrinka lost 7-6 (8), 7-5 to Kevin Anderson.
Anderson will play seventh-seeded Grigor Dimitrov, a 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 winner over Tommy Robredo.
Fifth-seeded David Ferrer also was pushed to three sets in a 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Ivan Dodig.
Canada's Milos Raonic also advanced, beating Julien Benneteau of France 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. The sixth-seeded Raonic, coming off a tournament victory Sunday in Washington, will play Feliciano Lopez in the quarterfinals. The Spaniard beat Tomas Berdych 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Aug 08 2014 | 10:15 AM IST

Next Story