Frenchman Tsonga reaches China final

Beijing: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Feliciano Lopez in the semi-finals of the China Open yesterrday to keep alive his hopes of qualifying for November’s season-ending World Tour finals in London.

Third seed Tsonga, ranked number seven in the world, won the first set 6-1 and was up 4-1 in the second when his Spanish opponent retired due to a left wrist injury.

“I played really well,” Frenchman Tsonga told reporters after reaching his 15th Tour final.

“I felt really good on the court. I’m just happy today with my game. I’m sure I will play good tennis in final.”

Tsonga, who won titles in Metz and Doha this year, will add crucial ranking points in Beijing that will boost his chances of qualifying as one of the top eight ranked players for London.

Tsonga will meet the winner of the second semi-final between top seed and world number two Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Germany’s Florian Mayer in the final.