Tsonga, Wawrinka claim pre-French silverware

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga claimed his first clay court title, and Stan Wawrinka won in Geneva as two outside favourites finished their Roland Garros preparations in the perfect way.

Tsonga claims maiden clay court title

Second-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France won his first title on clay when he defeated Tomas Berdych 7-6 (7-2) 7-5 in the Lyon Open final on Saturday.

Tsonga dropped just three points behind his first serve, hit 13 aces, and saved all two break points to down his third-seeded Czech opponent.

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Tsonga’s victory came a day before the French Open starts in Paris. No Frenchman has won the Roland Garros title since Yannick Noah lifted the Mousquetaires Cup in 1983.

Following the birth of his first child and a right shoulder injury, Tsonga played only four matches in two months before Lyon. He won back-to-back indoor titles in February in Rotterdam and Marseille, but had to withdraw from his second-round match in Madrid and from the Rome tournament because of his injury.

Wawrinka wins in Geneva

World No.3 Stan Wawrinka stormed back from a set down to beat German qualifier Mischa Zverev 4-6 6-3 6-3 and retain the men’s title in Geneva on Saturday.

The top-seeded Swiss looked frustrated early on as Zverev, ranked 33, broke his serve and went on to take the first set.

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In front of a partisan home crowd, Wawrinka jolted into life and raced to a 3-0 lead in the second, sending fizzing forehands across court and down the lines beyond Zverev to take the set.

Wawrinka, who won the French Open in 2015, dropped serve once in the final set but broke Zverev three times, securing the title with another ripping forehand for his first tournament win of the year as he prepares for another Roland Garros campaign.

The French Open gets underway on Sunday.