Jo-Wilfried Tsonga continued his roll this week at the US$3.78-million men’s Rogers Cup with yet another upset victory in the final over second-seeded Roger Federer.
Tsonga, 29, earned his second ATP Masters 1000 title of his career. On top of that, his successive string of wins against four straight top-10 players at a Masters 1000 tournament was the first such accomplishment since Guillermo Cañas achieved the rarity in 2002, which was also at the Rogers Cup.
The 13th-seeded Frenchman needed three sets to beat No. 8 Andy Murray of Britain 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4 in their quarter-final match Friday at Rexall Centre, which he deserved following an important break which put him in the lead at 4-3 in the third set. Prior to that, Tsonga upset the number one seed from Serbia, Novak Djokovic 6-2, 6-2.
In regards to French achievements, Tsonga is the first Frenchman to be crowned champion since I. F. Hellmuth was the victor in 1881.
In the women’s event held earlier in Montreal, Quebec, Agnieszka Radwanska beat Venus Williams 6-4, 6-2 to become the first Polish player to win the Rogers Cup. She received prize money of $441,000 as the winner and Venus 34 years old, earned $220,000 who beat her sister Serena in the semifinals.
