Tsonga bows out as Queen’s shocks continue

Saturday, 16 June 2012 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

LONDON (AFP): Jo-Wilfried Tsonga became the latest star to suffer a shock exit from the pre-Wimbledon warm-up at Queen’s Club as the world number five was beaten 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 7-6 (7/5) by Croatia’s Ivan Dodig on Thursday.

With top seed Andy Murray, fourth seed Gilles Simon and four-time Queen’s champions Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt already eliminated from the grass-court event, it seems Tsonga had a golden opportunity to go all the way.

But the Frenchman, seeded second, produced a lethargic display and world number 69 Dodig took full advantage to claim one of the best wins of his career.

Tsonga reached the final here last year, losing to Murray, and became the first player ever to beat Roger Federer from two sets down at a grand slam in the Wimbledon quarter-finals a few weeks later.

With that kind of pedigree on grass, Tsonga was the clear favourite. But Dodig, who defeated Rafael Nadal in Montreal last year, played with freedom and confidence, while Tsonga was a shadow of the vibrant force who so often over-powers opponents.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.