Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat fellow Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4 6-2 to win the Open Sud de France in Montpellier and claim his first ATP title since 2017.
Seventh-seeded Herbert, was looking to snatch his maiden singles title but Tsonga, whose 2018 season was hampered by injuries, only dropped four points on his serve.
The 33-year-old, in Montpellier courtesy of a wild card, had not won a trophy since he prevailed in Antwerp in October 2017.
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Herbert, who won the Australian Open doubles title with Nicolas Mahut last month, had no solutions in a one-sided second set as Tsonga improved his head-to-head record with his compatriot to 3-0.
“I am very happy with the way I played this week,” said Tsonga.
BACK AS A WINNER ????????????@tsonga7 beats Herbert 6-4 6-2 to claim his first title since October 2017 at the @OpenSuddeFrance, his 17th overall! ???? pic.twitter.com/Z1lNLkfRYC
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 10, 2019
“It was an amazing moment for me to win here in Montpellier. I have made many efforts to come back, so for me it is a good reward and I hope I will be able to continue playing at this level.”
In Bulgaria, Russia’s Daniil Medvedev beat Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics 6-4 6-3 to win the Sofia Open, his fourth career title.
Attacking the lines with machine-like precision, Medvedev was in complete control and broke the unseeded Hungarian, who won his maiden title in Geneva last year, four times.
The world No.16 converted his first championship point after breaking Fucsovics’s serve to love.
“I’m happy to win the title – this is what I came here for,” said Medvedev, who will fly to Rotterdam alongside Fucsovics on Monday to take part in the ATP event next week.
“I was the better player today and I deserved to win,” Medvedev said. “This title gives me a lot of confidence.”
FOUR-MIDABLE ????
A fourth ATP title in 13 months for @DaniilMedwed, as he downs Fucsovics 6-4 6-3 in Sofia! #SofiaOpen pic.twitter.com/NLbAgPBHG0
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 10, 2019
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