Tsonga sends Federer packing again

IF there's one man Roger Federer doesn't want to face at the US Open at the end of the month surely it must be Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Just six weeks after the Frenchman came from two sets down to knock Federer out of Wimbledon, he repeated the trick at the Rogers Cup last night.
This was another enthralling contest packed with dazzling rallies and resulted in the world No16 beating the Swiss 7-6, 4-6, 6-1 to book his place in the quarter-finals.

Federer's exit capped a stunning few days in Montreal with world No2 Rafael Nadal and No4 Andy Murray also losing.

But the world No3 said: "He beat me at Wimbledon, so I don't know how much of a surprise this is. He's playing well. I thought if he was going to play well again and me not at my best, he could do it again. He's confident right now."

Tsonga said: "I was opportunistic and able to break before he did. All the players keep improving. I believe that no player can be spared. Look at Rafa who lost, and Murray."

There were no problems for world No1 Novak Djokovic, who had a business-like 7-5, 6-2 victory over Croatian Marin Cilic.

At the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Maria Sharapova lost 6-3, 7-5 to a player 130 places below her in the rankings, Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan.

"Whether you're No1 in the world or you're facing someone that's 100 or so, you still have to go out and win" said the fifth-seed Russian. "That's what the sport is all about."