Murray denied shot at Toronto title by Tsonga

Scot suffers first loss to Frenchman in six years.

TORONTO:

Eighth seed Andy Murray rued his missed chance for achieving a title after 2013 Wimbledon as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat the Scot for the first time in six years on Friday with a 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-4 win which took him into the Toronto Masters semi-finals.

The victory, in just over two-and-a-quarter hours, marked another disappointment for Murray, who has not won a title since his historic success at Wimbledon 13 months ago.

The 27-year-old Tsonga’s highlights this season have been limited to a pair of semi-finals, at Acapulco and Roland Garros.

Murray, who led 3-0 in the deciding set, had not played this week since the second round after receiving a walkover when Richard Gasquet withdrew from their scheduled third round clash with an abdominal strain.

“It’s just disappointing because it’s important to play matches,” said Murray, still trying to lift his form after back surgery 10 months ago and playing his first event since Wimbledon a month ago.

“If you’ve had a break for a while, ideally you want to try and play as many matches as you can.

“Jo is a top player. He’s a fantastic athlete. When his game is on, he’s very tough to beat.”

It was the second upset of a top 10 player in as many days for Tsonga, who knocked out world number one Novak Djokovic in the third round.

“It’s going better and better every day,” said Tsonga. “These last couple of months I practised a lot.”

Federer books semi-final spot on birthday

Roger Federer marked his 33rd birthday by beating David Ferrer 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals of the ATP Tour’s Toronto Masters tournament.

A sellout crowd sang Happy Birthday to the second seed early in the second set, and cheered post-match as the 17-time grand slam winner was presented with an oversized chocolate cake to mark the occasion.

Federer remains a perfect 4-0 on matches played on his birthday.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 10^th, 2014.

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