Tsonga wins the 2014 Rogers Cup with an “upset” of Federer

Toronto, Canada, August 10, 2014 – The 13th-seeded Frenchman, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, took an hour and 47 minutes to beat the second-seeded Roger Federer in straight sets, 7-5, 7-6 (3), to win the Rogers Cup, one of the nine Masters 1000 events on the ATP World Tour. This was an impressive week of tennis for Tsonga, who had to beat four higher-seeded opponents and current Top 10 players (No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the third round, No. 9 Andy Murray in the quarterfinals, No. 8 Grigor Dimitrov in the semifinals and No. 2 Federer in the finals) to become the first French champion in the history of the tournament.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga capped off a stunning week at the 2014 Rogers Cup with a straight-sets win over Roger Federer in the final. (photo by Kwai Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

Looking at the match statistics alone, one would have never considered that the match was an upset. Tsonga was superior in every category except for first-serve percentage. He had won 94 percent of his first service points and 54 percent of the total points in the match, had four more aces, and most importantly, had no break points against him. On the other hand, Federer had seven break points against him; although he managed to save six, the lone point he lost tilted the first set in Tsonga’s favor, 7-5. In the second set, Federer managed to win only six points in the six games that Tsonga served before the tiebreak.

Then again, if one looked at the entire week, the fact that Tsonga bested Federer was actually predictable. That assumption sometimes lies in oft-neglected, non-match statistics called order of play or scheduling, and of course, physical conditions. Remarkably, in its eagerness to provide the most attractive matches to Rogers Cup tennis fans, Tennis Canada placed Federer in all night matches after 7 p.m. Tsonga, on the other hand, was not assigned to any, playing higher-seeded players under the hot sun between 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. By the time the 3 p.m. final was to start, the ambient temperature was at 27 degrees Celsius. Since Tsonga was able to endure physically, having won under similar playing conditions, and Federer was thrust into an unfamiliar situation, it was not surprising that Swiss appeared to be less competitive. Upset? No, indeed, it wasn’t.

In the interview after the match, Federer offered his assessment: “I wish I played a little better in the finals today…it was tough for me. Jo did come in with all the day’s sessions into the final. I didn’t.” On the other hand, the 2014 Wimbledon finalist offered, “It’s another good tournament for me, which I am happy about.”

Photos: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga d. Roger Federer, 7-5, 7-6 (3) – 2014 Rogers Cup final
all photos by Kwai Chan / Meniscus Magazine