Not bad seats at all today, but the weather was nowhere near as hot as Monday, which was a blessed relief as I’d been nattering to La Froglet and ended up running up 5 flights of stairs to get to my seat on time. Well, I say ran. I ran up a couple of flights and then staggered the rest of the way!
The guys came out, and above all I just wanted Jo to give a good account of himself.
Federer started the match off with a comfortable hold, and followed it up by breaking Tsonga. He consolidated the break in the next game. Pfft – Jo’s good start was non-existent!
Tsonga started better in his next service game, finding his range and with much better movement. He also had some opportunities on Federer’s serve but didn’t take them.
In the next round of games, Tsonga was beginning to blast out those blistering forehands and coming up with some big serving, but was still taken to deuce. Federer produced some masterful play to hold his service game too.
Although Tsonga had stopped the rot and held again, Federer held to love, and took the first set 6-3.
At the start of the second set, Federer was really profiting from some lucky netcords. Jo… not so much. Jo, by now, wasn’t playing badly; he was playing a little more aggressively now, and things went with serve for the first three games.
As the games progressed, Jo was stepping up the aggression and the quality of the rallies was amazing, including one in the tenth game where Jo ended up throwing himself on the ground and chucking the racquet at the call for the last shot.
Everything continued on serve to a Tiebreak, but Jo was on the back foot, and Federer took it 7/3. This was going to be a long way back.
I left for a break at this point, and came back (to my surprise) with Jo a break up in the third set, serving at 3-2. Federer held his serve to love, so was still looking in impressive form, despite whatever lapse had got him broken!
By now Jo was able to fire off big serves, and Roger was still holding to love, until Jo was serving out for the set. He seemed a little tight, and had a bit of a battle, but took the third set.
Having missed the first break, I was pretty pleased to see Jo break Federer in the third game – he seemed to have maintained that aggressive play and seemed to capitalise on a brief drop in concentration from Roger. By now he was thundering passing shots and we were treated to more great rallies.
As the set wore on, Jo was getting a bit edgy on his serve, but still able to to hold and stay that crucial break ahead. However that tightness disappeared this time, when he emphatically held to take the fourth set.
The crowd was now buzzing. Having been there when Falla took Federer to 5 sets in last year’s first round match – but all the folks around me were sure that Jo was going to cave.
Until he broke Federer’s serve again, in the first game of the fifth! Then the sense was of nervous anticipation.
Jo was really going for his shots and seemingly couldn’t miss, holding after the break.
Not that Roger had given up at all and again we were treated to some amazing rallies.
As the set progressed, Roger was looking a little less comfortable on his serve and beginning to show a little annoyance that Jo wasn’t caving in like a soufflé in a draft! His holds were getting sticky and with Jo serving out, he did so commandingly and just sank to his knees as the whole crowd got to their feet!
Federer was courteous enough to wait for Jo to get his stuff together, and even offered up a bit of a wave to the crowd.
I have to confess I was a touch emotional – it was truly an amazing comeback from Jo.
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