There are no more Brits in the Men’s singles of the Australian Open after Dan Evans was ousted by Jo-Wilfred Tsonga 6-7(4) 6-2 6-4 6-4 in the fourth round of the Australian open.
Both players played some brilliant tennis to start the match, with Tsonga using his power and athleticism taking on Evans’ slice combined with court intelligence. The 12th seed was the one applying the pressure as Evans committed double faults early on. The Frenchman creating four break point opportunities in the first set, which were all denied by the Brit’s great volleying skills. Every time Evans had momentum, it would be broken by Tsonga’s comfortable service games and big serves. The server held convincingly in the business end of the first set, therefore the first set went to a tiebreak. Powerful grounstrokes from the world number 51 meant that he dominated the tiebreak and sealed the first set 7-6(4) in 57 minutes. Could Dan Evans produce another shock?
However Tsonga wasn’t a former grand slam semifinalist for nothing and his athleticism combined with big serving allowed him to break Evans’ serve in the first game for a 1-0 lead. A long, exhausting first game was taking its toll on the experienced Brit, who then fell apart and gave away breaks easily, as a result he fell to 4-0 deficit. Tsonga made no mistake, and sealed the set 6-2 in 42 minutes.
Just like the second set, the third set started with a Tsonga break of serve as he lead 1-0. The Frenchman started to take the ball early to power through a determined Dan Evans. Unforced errors mixed with frustration was starting to take its toll on Evans, who had to produce something special in order to catch up with the Frenchman. Despite a valiant effort in the tenth game, the Brit couldn’t break down the 12th seed as Tsonga claimed the third set 6-4. Did Evans have any energy left to forge a comeback?
The fourth set saw both players hit the ball early and try to dictate play from the start. Unfortunately for Dan Evans, Tsonga decided he wanted to end this match in four sets and bulldozed his way to the break and lead 2-1. The Frenchman won 81% of first service points, this was the key to success as he managed to warn out the Brit with a number of big first serves and dictating play. Soon it was match point Tsonga and a missed forehand volley for Evans, sealed victory for the world number 12 in just under three hours.
It was an impressive performance from Tsonga, who showed agility and athleticism to storm past Evans. The Brit has done well to reach this far and will take a lot of momentum heading into the rest of the season. The Frenchman will be considered one of the dangerous threats for the tournament, especially with Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray out from the tournament. Tsonga will play his third Australian Open quarterfinal on Tuesday when he plays 4th seed and 2014 champion Stan Wawrinka.
