Tsonga upsets Djokovic in Bangkok to win first career title

Second-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (pictured) captured his first career ATP singles title on Sunday at the Thailand Open in Bangkok by defeating No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic, 7-6(4), 6-4, in a rematch of the 2008 Australian Open final.

Tsonga, who was missing in action on the ATP Tour for three months due to knee surgery, played remarkable tennis throughout his title run, as he defeated respected singles players including Jurgen Melzer and Roland Garros Semifinalist and countryman Gael Monfils.

"I feel great, it’s got to be one of the best moments of my life," said Tsonga. "I just played unbelievable tennis against Novak and it was just my dream so I’m really happy."

Djokovic, the defending Australian Open champion, was up 4-3 and a break in the first set, before the young Frenchman broke back and went up 5-4, before the set eventually went to a tiebreak. Tsonga took command early in the tiebreak and was able to hold on and win the tiebreak 7-4. After breaking serve in the ninth game of the second set, Tsonga took a 5-4 lead and was able to hold off two break points chances to close out the match and claim the title. Both players double faulted once during the match, but Tsonga had the edge on aces, as he fired eight compared to Djokovic’s three.

"[It came down to] maybe a couple of points," assessed Tsonga. "The last game was very hard and I was just saying in my head “Go On! Do It!” so it was incredible. I was not nervous (about the match), I was just a little bit nervous about Novak because he has played just unbelievably and, for me, it’s difficult to play against him because I have a really good serve and I think one of the best parts of his game is the return."

Looking to win his fourth title of the season and 11th overall in his young career, Djokovic falls to 10-6 in championship matches. The Serbian currently owns a 58-14 record this season, which includes his first grand slam title and a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics.

"I lost the final against a great player," admitted Djokovic. "Jo wisely used his opportunities and deserved to win his first title. I played a bit too defensively today in the final. You have to use your opportunities and I didn’t. It’s unfortunate to lose in the final but I lost to a great player so I have no regrets. Congratulations to Jo and his team on his first ATP title. I’m sure we’ll see a lot of him in the future."

Along with the winner’s trophy, Tsonga earned a check for $94,000, while Djokovic’s check is good for $51,000. Tsonga joined a group of eight other rising tennis stars that won their first career title in 2008, with Croatian Marin Cilic being the most recent, a winner in New Haven in August.