Tsonga upsets de Mi?aur, becomes lowest-ranked semifinalist in Brisban

Brisbane (Australia), Jan 5 (IANS) French tennis player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga ended Australia's hopes for a local champion as he upset Alexde Mi?aur 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) in the Brisbane International quarterfinal.

After a one-hour, 46-minute match on Friday night, Tsonga, the 239th ranked in the world, became the lowest-ranked player to qualify for the Brisbane International semifinal.

"I knew it was going to be a battle. We play completely different games. It was good tennis_ you can appreciate (both). And I hope I will have more support in the next round," Tsonga, a former top-5 player said after the win, reports Efe news.

Seventh-seed de Mi?aur had a slow start, conceding his opening service game, but he managed to draw level at 2-2 as he won two consecutive games after long rallies from the baseline.

Tsonga, who struggled with a knee injury for the most of the 2018 season, gained another service break when it mattered the most; in the ninth game and then sealed the first set in the following game.

The second set also saw long rallies from the baseline, with the Australian player creating three consecutive break points at 2-3, but the Frenchman served his way out of trouble.

Both players held their serve in the following games to force a tie break in which Tsonga won the final five points in a row to clinch the win in their first career match, securing his first semifinal appearance at an ATP event since Feb. 2018.

The 33-year-old Tsonga is set to take on fourth-seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia, who got past Milos Raonic of Canada 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-4.

The other semifinal match pits Frenchman Jeremy Chardy against Kei Nishikori of Japan.