Tsonga sends Nadal packing from Shanghai Masters
Frenchman to take on Djokovic in the final after beating Nadal for the first time in almost four years.
Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga recorded a first win over Rafa Nadal in almost four years after producing some scintillating tennis to beat the Spaniard in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters.
Tsonga, the 16th seed, triumphed 6-4 0-6 7-5 to set up a final against number one Novak Djokovic who beat Andy Murray in the other semi-final.
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Nadal, a winner of 14 grand slam singles titles, struggled to cope with Tsonga in the opening set as the Frenchman pressured the Spaniard’s serve with some heavy hitting.
He secured the break in the fifth game at the third time of asking but after going on to serve out the set, Tsonga’s game crumbled in the second set as Nadal easily levelled without dropping a game to force a decider.
Nadal, looking for a first hard court title in almost two years, was forced to save some early break points but the third set remained on serve until Tsonga struck in the 11th game of an enthralling encounter.
Meanwhiel, Djokovic reached his 13th consecutive ATP Tour final with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Murray.
The top-seed broke Murray five times in the match and committed just seven unforced errors to 30 for the Scot.
He has now won nine of his last 10 matches against Murray over the past two years.
Djokovic will be aiming for his ninth title this season. The Serbian star has reached the final in every tournament he has played since the Qatar Open in January when he lost to Ivo Karlovic in the quarterfinals.