Nadal throttles Tsonga in dominant display to reach Wimbledon week two

A razor-sharp Rafael Nadal notched his first career victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on grass in dominating fashion Saturday, advancing 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, after one hour and 48 minutes.

Perhaps Tsonga, who looked to be in need of a double espresso at the start of the match, expected Great Britain’s Harriet Dart to last longer than 53 minutes in her Centre Court clash with WTA No. 1 Ashleigh Barty. The Frenchman was simply not ready for Nadal’s level of intensity and overall level of play.

Tsonga typically matches up well with Nadal; some days his massive serve and forehand combination can take the racquet out of Nadal’s hands. But today was not that day for the two-time semifinalist. Nadal showed absolutely no mercy en route to his quickest victory so far at The Championships. Nadal won 89 points to Tsonga's 54 and quite frankly embarrassed the French fan favorite.

After Saturday's performance, Nadal will be a heavy favorite in his Monday clash with the winner of Portugal’s Joao Sousa and British hopeful Dan Evans. Nadal is looking to win his first title at the All England Club since 2010, the last time he successfully completed a Roland Garros-Wimbledon double.