After Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2, to move into his second consecutive Wimbledon semifinal, the charismatic Frenchman was signing autographs when he noticed a small girl clutching an oversized tennis ball, crying uncontrollably—presumably because she had originally been overlooked in her quest for his signature. Tsonga not only signed her ball, he reached into his bag and pulled out a wristband, gifting it to her. He wanted everybody to be as happy as he was at the conclusion of his match.
Tsonga had good reason to be happy, and a little relieved. Facing Kohlschreiber, the talented German who beat Rafael Nadal in Halle and came into this match in great form, Tsonga had to dig deep and show the kind of fortitude we don’t usually associate with him on a day when he wasn’t playing his best. It’s notable that the second set and parts of the third, for which Kohlschreiber was dominant, featured longer rallies from the baseline, but for the most part Tsonga succeeded in making it a match of quick-fire, first-strike tennis—almost an old school grass-court content—as both men approached the net and volleyed with regularity.
After poor errors from Kohlschreiber saw Tsonga take the first set with one of the 17 aces he served today, one might have expected the German to capitulate. Instead he regrouped, and as Tsonga’s first-serve percentage plummeted, broke immediately to lead 2-0. Kohlschreiber raised his level as Tsonga went through one of his streaks of numerous errors and baffling shot selection—repeatedly hitting approach shots to Kohlschreiber’s stronger backhand wing, for example. Although Tsonga briefly leveled the set, Kohlschreiber took it when, at 4-5, 30-40, Tsonga served to the backhand side and wandered in to net behind it. The return was good; the volley wasn’t, and Kohlschreiber took the set.
Tsonga received treatment for a back issue during his last match against Fish, and his movement looked distinctly labored at times today. He continued to make errors during the third set, and after Kohschreiber saved four break points at 3-3, he had every excuse to lose his concentration. Instead, Tsonga refocused on the task at hand, taking the initiative in the third-set tiebreaker after an initial exchange of poor errors.
Tsonga then broke early in the fourth, and Kohlschreiber had nothing more to throw at him. At 2-5, Tsonga took his first match point after a spectacular exchange where he put in a testing pass to get a high volley, chased it down, then flicked the winner cross-court, one of many death-defying touch shots he played today. Still, for all the flair Tsonga showed and the talent we know he has, it was a gritty and ultimately a professional performance, getting the best out of himself on a lackluster day and forcing his opponent to play the match on his terms. He also managed to get off court just as the skies darkened and threatened to rain, an accomplishment of no mean significance; after all, he has another match to play.
—Hannah Wilks