By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday September 22, 2019
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga battled from a set down to claim his fourth Moselle Open title on Sunday in Metz.
Photo Source: AP
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga weathered an early storm, survived a tricky second set and eventually motored past Aljaz Bedene for his fourth Metz title on Sunday, 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-3.
Bedene took a tight opening set, saving the only break point of the stanza and grabbing the first-set breaker, but Tsonga flipped the script by saving a break point in the eighth game of the second set and proceeding to claim the second-set breaker.
The momentum gained served Tsonga well as the Frenchman quickly broke at love to take a 2-0 lead in the third set when a Bedene backhand sailed long of the baseline.
Tsonga would continue to pressure Bedene from there.
Bedene saved a pair of break points to avoid going down a double-break and 4-0, but the Slovenian couldn’t keep Tsonga at bay down the stretch as the 34-year-old dropped just six points on serve in the third set and never faced a break point.
Bedene saved another break point while serving at 1-4, but he could not draw closer. Tsonga converted his first championship with an inside-out forehand winner and raised his arms in triumph as he stood and soaked up the crowd’s admiration.
Tsonga improves to 4-1 lifetime in Metz finals and 18-12 overall in ATP finals. The Frenchman is now 28-15 on the season with two titles. After finishing 2018 outside of the Top 200, his comeback from knee surgery just underway, Tsonga will return to the Top 40 in next week’s ATP rankings just 17 months after surgery on his left knee.
Bedene drops to 18-15 on the season and 0-4 lifetime in ATP finals.