Paris: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga illuminated a grey day in Paris with a thrilling victory over Tomas Berdych to reach the quarter-finals of the French Open on Sunday but Maria’s Sharapova title defence was put on hold by the rain.
After home favourite Alize Cornet’s run petered out in a bitter 6-2 7-6(9) defeat by Ukraine’s 19th seed Elina Svitolina in a match held up for three hours by rain, home eyes turned to Tsonga on Court Philippe Chatrier.
All seemed to be going well when he led by two sets against bad-tempered fourth seed Berdych, who seemed unhappy to be playing in on-and-off drizzle, but when he served for the match at 5-4 in the third set the dampness seemed to get into his circuitry and he fluffed his chance.
Berdych pounced to take the third set on a tiebreak and as French cheers from fans huddled under colourful umbrellas in the stands turned to near silence, the Czech moved a break ahead in the fourth and looked favourite to go and win.
Out of nowhere, however, the spring returned to Tsonga’s step and with an onslaught of heavy hitting he reeled off five games in a row to win 6-3 6-2 6-7(5) 6-3.
The injury-plagued Tsonga sealed victory when Berdych wafted a backhand long and danced for joy before conducting the “Oles” with his towel.
It was only the third time in nine meetings that 30-year-old Tsonga, seeded 14, had beaten Berdych and his reward is a quarter-final against Japan’s Kei Nishikori.
Title-tip Nishikori had not struck a ball in anger since his second-round win over Brazil’s Thomaz Bellucci on Wednesday after third-round opponent Benjamin Becker of Germany pulled out with an injury.
If there was any rust, however, he soon shook it off to outclass Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3 6-4 6-2 and reach the quarter-finals at Roland Garros for the first time.
He is also the first Japanese man to reach the French Open quarter-finals for more than 80 years and he sounded like he has no intention of stopping yet.
“I think quarter-final that’s the first goal for this week,” the 2014 U.S. Open runner-up said. “I hope it’s just the start of my journey, and I hope I can keep going.”
Two of the scheduled women’s fourth-round matches were postponed — Sharapova’s clash against Czech 13th seed Lucie Safarova and Italian Flavia Pennetta’s meeting with Spain’s Garbine Muguruza.
Those matches will be wedged into Monday’s schedule when better weather is expected in the French capital.
French number one Cornet’s first appearance in the last 16 of her home grand slam got off to a terrible start as she went 5-0 down in the first set, before the rain arrived.
She fought tooth and nail after that, however, but the 20-year-old Svitolina was too far ahead. Although Cornet saved five match points and dragged the second set into a tiebreak she was unable to continue her quest.
The home hope was left seething after a tight call went against her on break point down at 5-5 in the second set -- the umpire climbing off the chair to confirm Svitolina’s claim that Cornet’s shot had landed fractions long.
“It’s a scandal,” Cornet told a news conference. “It’s shameful. I don’t know how she could look me straight in the eye and tell me the ball was out.” Svitolina will face former champion and world number one Ana Ivanovic next after the Serbian seventh seed beat Russian Ekaterina Makarova 7-5 3-6 6-1.
Ivanovic will be appearing in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros for the first time since winning the title in 2008.
