Roger Federer was happy to overcome Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a tough three setter in his opening match at the ATP World Tour Finals.
It was a bit of an odd match to say the least but Federer was happy to get past the dangerous Frenchman 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. The Swiss star made a rapid start, quickly moving 4-1 and totally outclassing Tsonga throughout the opening set, dropping just 3 points on serve.
The sell-out crowd including footballing stars Thierry Henry and Andrei Arshavin, watched on in awe as Federer delivered a serving masterclass. However things turned around just as quickly as the Federer forehand went walkabout and suddenly Tsonga was right back in the match at one set all.
It was anyone's match in the decider but Federer recovered his poise and it went with serve until the tenth game. A couple of poor errors from Tsonga put him 0-30 down and suddenly Federer was sniffing victory. The Swiss moved in for the kill with a lethal forehand winner and he ripped a backhand pass to clinch victory.
"I think he was a bit surprised because I played so bad in the first set, then I played correctly in the second, but it's always difficult because he's really quick," Tsonga said afterwards. "Sometimes you think you will get the point but Roger is still there. That's why it's tough to play against him."
