By Chris Soderstrom
Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga seized his maiden title yesterday, defeating top-seeded Serb Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 6-4 at the Thailand Open.
The Australian Open hero avenged his loss to Djokovic earlier in the year toppling him in straight sets.
Tsonga, the World No. 20 and second seed, had dreamt of the win since he was a child and was overjoyed afterwards.
“This win is very special, I’ve wanted this since I was young,” said the Frenchman, who had only returned from a three month injury induced lay-off at the US Open. “This is a dream come true. I’m happy to win, Novak is a great player.”
“In tennis, you have to enjoy the moment. It’s great to win at last and I want to win more and more.”
Djokovic was appearing in his 16th ATP singles final (10-6 record) but was denied of a fourth title of the season by the hard-hitting Frenchman.
“I lost the final against a great player,” admitted Djokovic. “Jo wisely used his opportunities and deserved to win his first title. I played a bit too defensively today in the final. You have to use your opportunities and I didn’t.”
“It’s unfortunate to lose in the final but I lost to a great player so I have no regrets.”