ATP Brisbane: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga edges Alex de Minaur. Medveded advances
The experienced Frenchman had 41 winners and 28 unforced errors while Alex stood on a more reduced 16-11 ratio, playing well but not good enough to at least take a set from a former world no. 5. Tsonga hit 12 aces and he saved four out of five break points to limit the damage in his games, taking 42% of the return points and breaking Alex twice from six opportunities, enough to enter the last four without losing a set.
Jo broke at 15 in the first game of the match after forcing an error from the youngster who broke back in game four when Tsonga played a loose forehand, leveling the score at 2-2 and settling into a nice rhythm. Facing a break point at 2-3, Tsonga hammered a forehand winner to erase the deficit and he held at love in games eight and 10 to keep Alex under tension.
A forehand down the line winner put Tsonga ahead in game nine and he closed the opening set with a service winner in game 10 for a 6-4 in 42 minutes. Serving at 2-3 in set number two, Tsonga saved three break points with winners and he was a point away from breaking Alex twice in the next game, only to squander both opportunities after good serves from the home favorite.
Five solid holds later they went into a tie break where Alex moved 2-1 up with a smash winner before losing two points on serve that cost him dearly. A smash winner following an incredible rally pushed Jo 5-2 up and he painted another perfect forehand down the line winner at 6-2 to cross the finish line and complete what was a mighty impressive performance that should bring him back inside the top-50 in no time at all in he stays healthy.
Medvedev defeated Raonic in Tokyo last October en route to his first ATP 500 title and he emerged as the winner today as well, overcoming the opening set deficit and all eight break points he faced to leave the big server behind in sets two and three and set Tsonga clash for the place in the final.
Milos landed 29 aces and he delivered better numbers behind the first serve, facing just four break points in the entire match. Daniil managed to break him once in the last two sets and he never lost focus on serve even in the toughest moments to keep the service games intact and cross the finish line before the Canadian.
Milos had 49 winners and 38 unforced errors while Daniil stood on a 33-21 ratio, winning five points more than his opponent and defending his second serve in a more efficient way that made all the difference. Both players saved a break point the second time they served and Medvedev faced an ultimate challenge at 4-5 when he had to play against three break chances.
With no sign of nerves what so ever, the youngster won five points in a row to avoid the setback, bringing the game home with an ace but falling 7-2 in the tie break when Milos hit an ace following two mini-breaks. Out of sudden, Medvedev grabbed a break in game two of the second set when Milos hit a poor volley and he opened a 4-1 lead before more challenging last two service games where he had to play against four break points in total.
Two winners kept Daniil unbroken in game seven and he refused to be denied at 5-3 as well, fending off a couple of break points and closing the set with an ace to set up a decider. There, he lost just five points in five service games and Milos failed to follow that pace, losing five points in a row from 40-0 in game nine to lose serve after a poor forehand that allowed Medvedev to serve for the win in the following game.
A forehand winner in that 10th game sent Daniil over the top, thrilled with the way he performed against such a strong server and hoping for more of the same against Tsonga on Saturday. <table
