HIGHLIGHTS: Milos Raonic tops Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in three tiebreaks

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At the end of their absorbing first-round skirmish at the Rolex Paris Masters, Canada’s Milos Raonic and the ever-affable Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France greeted each other up at the net with the kind of sportsmanship we wish players of their ilk could always exhibit. Tsonga extended his hand while wearing a wide grin, and then clearly said something amusing yet complimentary to his opponent. Raonic—an earnest craftsman yet customarily a serious fellow whenever he steps out onto the arena—smiled at the man he had narrowly beaten.

This was sportsmanship of the highest order, a winner and a loser each accepting their fate graciously, two gentlemen realizing that sometimes they don’t entirely control their own destinies. It was a moment to be treasured by all tennis fans, and a credit to both players for the reverence they displayed to each other.

Here were a pair of men who have known success at the highest levels of the game in the past, yet they currently are not where they want to be right now. Tsonga has been out of the game from February until September of this season, and had knee surgery in April. He had played only ten matches and five tournaments in all of 2018, and he came into this contest ranked No. 256 in the world. At his zenith, Tsonga was ranked No. 5 in 2012. Over the ten-year stretch from 2008-2017, the 33-year-old finished every campaign among the Top 15 in the world, concluding six of those years in the Top 10.

As for Raonic, this 28-year-old was a Top 15 performer from 2012-2016, reaching a career high at No. 3 in the world two years ago. But his last two seasons have been unfulfilling for him, and at the moment he stands too lowly at No. 21 in the world. He had lost his last four matches as he headed into this encounter with Tsonga. Clearly, Raonic wanted to make amends in his last tournament of 2018. This has not been the season Raonic had envisioned for himself, so he needed a boost as he confronted Tsonga in a meeting between two competitors with similar strengths and weaknesses.

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6-7, 7-6, 7-6: Milos Raonic edges Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Paris thriller

6-7, 7-6, 7-6: Milos Raonic edges Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Paris thriller

Both players are big servers who can be awfully hard to break. Both are deadly on the inside-out forehand. And each of them can be exploited on the backhand return and on rally balls off that side. It is no wonder that Raonic led their career series by a slam 3-2 margin prior to today; when they are on their games, the matchup favors neither man.

Raonic had his chances in the opening set. In six service games en route to the tie-break, he took 24 of 28 points, and his toughest game on his delivery was a hold at 30 in the 11th game.

Unmistakably, Raonic had the upper hand, but he did not exploit his openings. With the vivacious Frenchman serving in the sixth game, Raonic twice went to deuce, but came up short. Tsonga gamely held on for 3-3. More important, however, was Raonic’s lost opportunity in the tenth game.

Serving to stay in the set, Tsonga double faulted to fall behind 15-30 and then sprayed a forehand crosscourt wildly beyond the baseline. That brought Raonic to double set point. But Tsonga met that moment boldly, releasing a service winner at 15-40 and a forehand behind Raonic at 30-40 that was too good. Tsonga opportunistically collected the next two points to make it to 5-5.

Soon they moved into a tie-break. Locked at 2-2, Tsonga unloaded freely off the forehand, inducing an error from Raonic. With the mini-break in hand, the Frenchman surged to 5-2 before Raonic won two points in a row to close the gap. Tsonga was undismayed, connecting for a forehand winner before drawing a forehand return error from the Canadian. Set to Tsonga, 7-4 in the tie-break.

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6-7, 7-6, 7-6: Milos Raonic edges Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Paris thriller

6-7, 7-6, 7-6: Milos Raonic edges Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Paris thriller

Once more in the second set, Raonic put himself within striking distance of a service break. At 3-3, he advanced to 15-40, only to miss a forehand down-the-line return. Tsonga followed determinedly with an ace out wide at 133 M.P.H. Tsonga saved a third break point on an errant backhand slice from an apprehensive Raonic, and held on steadfastly for 4-3. In the 11th game, Tsonga struggled significantly as well, but came through on his fourth game point after three deuces to reach 6-5.

Raonic, meanwhile, remained almost untouchable on serve. In six service games on his way to another tie-break, Raonic conceded only five points.

Tsonga opened the second set tie-break with a double fault. Raonic pounced, serving a pair of aces for 3-0. He surged to 6-1, but, inexplicably, injured himself with a rash of errors. Tsonga swept four points in a row and was serving at 5-6. But he made an unprovoked mistake off the forehand. On his fifth set point, Raonic tenuously took the tie-break seven points to five to make it one set all.

The third set went to 3-3, but Raonic was given a stern test on his serve for the first time. He was down 15-40 in the crucial seventh game, but did not panic. An excellent forehand approach behind Tsonga gave his adversary no chance, and then Raonic acted Tsonga down the T. He sedulously held on for 4-3 with cool resolve.

Soon, Raonic was on the verge of victory as Tsonga served at 4-5. Twice, the Frenchman was a single point from defeat, but Raonic missed a backhand return off a fine first serve, and Tsonga served an ace out wide on the second. Back to 5-5 went an unswerving Tsonga. He then made a bid to break Raonic in the eleventh game, but the Canadian served an ace at deuce, followed by an unstoppable first serve.

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6-7, 7-6, 7-6: Milos Raonic edges Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Paris thriller

6-7, 7-6, 7-6: Milos Raonic edges Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Paris thriller

Almost inevitably, a third tie-break settled the outcome of an intriguing contest. Neither man had broken serve in the match. In this concluding sequence, Raonic unleashed a flurry of scorching forehands, finishing with a winner for a 4-2 lead. Tsonga was unrelenting, climbing back to 4-4 and then at 5-5. But then Raonic out-dueled Tsonga from the backcourt with both men looking to dominate off the forehand.

Raonic had garnered his third match point. Now serving at 6-5, he missed his first serve, but coaxed another mistake from Tsonga in a fiercely contested rally. Victory had gone to Raonic, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5). It was hard earned. He had dealt honorably with the decidedly pro-Tsonga crowd in Paris. He had endured the disappointments of elusive set points in the first set and match points in the third. But, in the end, after working hard and competing with equanimity, Raonic had defeated Tsonga, winning resolutely, earning a second-round appointment against Roger Federer, and going about his business with unshakable professionalism.

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6-7, 7-6, 7-6: Milos Raonic edges Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Paris thriller

6-7, 7-6, 7-6: Milos Raonic edges Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Paris thriller

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