Tsonga Wins Qatar Exxon Mobile Title

Doha , January 07 (QNA) - Joe Wilfred Tsonga won the 20th Qatar Exxon Mobil Open after defeating his compatriot Gael Monfils two groups to none. The Frenchman secured the title of the competition, worth $1.024 million in prize money, after defeating Monfils 7-5 and 6-3. With this win, third-seeded Tsonga claimed his eighth title win in his career. This is the third time that Tsonga defeats his fellow countryman Monfils, out of four meetings. On the match, the champion said that "This is a good win for me going into the Australian Open, it's just amazing." Tsonga almost lost the first set after going down 3-5. However the Frenchman rallied to win the set, winning four games on the trot. He is the third Frenchman to win Qatar Open. Fabrice Santoro was the first, in 2000. Nicolas Escude was the latest in 2004. The game had to be suspended for about half an hour due to fog which caused slippery conditions on the baseline.(QNA)