Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat his compatriot Pierre Hugues Herbert 6-4 6-2 in 1 hour and 13 minutes in the all-French final at the Open Sud de France to become the seventh home winner in the past nine editions of this tournament.
Tsonga scored his third win in his three career head-to-head against Herbert. Tsonga, who had dropped just three games against Herbert in their previous two matches, continued his dominance in today’s Montpellier final dropping just nine points on serve and breaking three times.
Both players held their serve in the first eight games with no deuces and no break points. Tsonga earned his only two break points at 4-4. Herbert saved the first opportunity with his serve and volley. Tsonga converted his second break point chance with a forehand return winner to take a 5-4 lead and served the first set 6-4 at love after 37 minutes.
Tsonga went up a double break in the first and fifth games and served out the match with a hold at love at 5-2 to celebrate his come-back after a difficult 2018 season plagued by a serious knee injury.
Tsonga has lifted the 17th title of his career and his first tournament since October 2017, when he beat Diego Schwartzman in Antwerp. The French player missed seven months after retiring from the semifinal in Montpellier last year. He underwent knee surgery last April and made his come-back last January when he reached the semifinal in Brisbane.
Herbert, who completed the Career Grand Slam of doubles titles at the Australian Open alongside his partner Nicolas Mahut, was bidding to win his first singles title after losing in Winston Salem to Kevin Anderson in 2015 and to Yoshihito Nishioka in Shenzhen in 2018.
Tsonga becomes the seventh French winner in the nine-year history of the Montpellier tournament joining his compatriots Gael Monfils in 2010 and 2014, Richard Gasquet in 2013, 2015 and 2016 and Lucas Pouille in 2018.
