Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France hits a return to Kevin Anderson of South Africa during their men's singles quarter-final match at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament in Shanghai, east China, on Oct. 16, 2015. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won 2-1. (Xinhua/Fan Jun)
SHANGHAI, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Sixteenth-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overcame a second set slump to beat 12th seed Kevin Anderson of South Africa 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-4 for a spot in the semifinals at the Shanghai Rolex Masters on Friday.
Anderson, who just broke into the Top 10 rankings for the first time this week, caused enough trouble to Tsonga in a tense opening set, with both players failing to make a break.
Tsonga was better on big points in the tiebreak, fighting from 6-3 down and scored five points in a row to take the tiebreak at 8-6.
Anderson, 29, continued to put pressure on the Frenchman and did not miss his opportunity in the second set, converting the only break point in the 12th game to level the match.
Tsonga quickly regained the lead in the third set, breaking for a 2-1 advantage. The 28-year-old Frenchman fended off break points in the fourth and sixth games before sealing victory in two hours and 41 minutes.
"It was a good match," said Tsonga. "It was a good level, I think. We both played good tennis. I was really aggressive. I served really, really well today. I moved well. I'm just really happy to win."
After the first three months of his season were hampered by injury, Tsonga has hit form in the second half of the year, reaching the semifinals at Roland Garros and the quarterfinals at the US Open.
"I am really happy to be back at the good level," said Tsonga. "It's good things for next year. The most important thing for me now is to stay healthy and continue to play and improve my game."
Tsonga is through to the Shanghai semifinals for the second time, having made it two years ago. He is also chasing his second ATP World Tour title in as many months, having triumphed recently at the Moselle Open.
