WHAT HAPPENED: There were no empty seats in the stadium at Court 17 on Monday, as fans packed in to see No. 8 seed and US Open favorite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Romania’s Marius Copil.
The Frenchman’s return to Flushing Meadows was nothing short of powerful.
The three-time US Open quarterfinalist took to the hard courts and didn’t hold back. After winning the coin toss, Tsonga’s robust serve secured his first game within one minute.
From there, Tsonga kept the momentum, leveraging his booming baseline game to control the court. Copil attempted to gain footing by rushing the net, but quickly retreated back to the baseline after Tsonga blasted multiple deep shots by him.
The second set saw Copil become more strategic, throwing drop shots at Tsonga, who had trouble adjusting to the short shots. But Copil’s consistency wasn’t there, both in his shots and serves, and unforced errors were his major downfall.
In total, Tsonga fired 29 winners at Copil, advancing him to the second round in just under two hours.
WHAT IT MEANS: At 32 years old, Tsonga is certainly a veteran of the game. But much like his fellow players Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, he proves that age is but a number. Earlier this year, Tsonga secured three singles titles, defeating the likes of David Goffin, compatriot Lucas Pouille and Tomáš Berdych. Currently ranked No. 12 in the world, Tsonga continues to shine.
MATCH POINT: Is this the season of Tsonga? Tsgona’s quarter of the draw falls in his favor, with only 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic, seeded No. 5, his potential greatest obstacle to reaching the semifinals. Tsonga, a three-time US Open quarterfinalist (2011, 2015-16) has yet to reach the semifinals. Tsonga was on a course to play No. 2 seed Andy Murray in the quarterfinals before Murray pulled out of the Open, so he may have smooth sailing all the way to the semifinals. Add a US Open title to his merits, and Tsonga would have had an outstanding year, having become a father with the birth of his son with girlfriend Noura El Shwekh in late March.
