METZ, France, (Reuters) – France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga clinched his sixth ATP title when he beat big-serving Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia 6-3 6-7 6-3 in the final of the Metz tournament yesterday.
World number 10 Tsonga showed he had a strong serve of his own, firing 14 aces past Ljubicic, and he broke six times to secure his first title since prevailing in Tokyo almost two years ago.
Ljubicic, who had not dropped serve on his way to the final, trailed 4-5 in the second set but held serve to force a tiebreak that he won 7-4.
The effort cost the Croat dearly and he gradually ran out of steam against the 2008 Australian Open runner-up.
Tsonga, whose career has been hampered by injuries, sealed the win when Ljubicic served a double fault.
