JO WILFRIED TSONGA SURGES TO NINTH IN RACE AS BERDYCH & RAFAEL NADAL PUNCH TICKETS

Written by: Staff on 19th October 2015

JO WILFRIED TSONGA SURGES TO NINTH IN RACE AS BERDYCH & RAFAEL NADAL PUNCH TICKETS

epa04979335 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in action against Kevin Anderson of South Africa during their match in the Shanghai Tennis Masters at the Qi Zhong Tennis Center in Shanghai, China, 16 October 2015. EPA/ROLEX DELA PENA |

Contenders continue to fight for position with three weeks remaining in the Emirates ATP Race To London

One month ago, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga entered the Moselle Open in Metz at No. 15 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, with a steep task ahead of him to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. t

The Frenchman has taken the challenge to heart, hoisting the trophy on home soil and streaking to his fourth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final at the Shanghai Rolex Masters on Sunday. Tsonga has posted a 9-2 record in that four-week span, vaulting six spots to No. 9 in his quest to return to the season finale for the fourth time and first since 2012. His best result came the year prior when he finished runner-up to Roger Federer.

Last year, Andy Murray’s mad dash paid dividends in soaring from the 11th position to fifth in the Emirates ATP Race To London. Tsonga will hope for similar results with Vienna, Basel and the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris remaining on his schedule, looking to build on 2,500 points.

“I’m No. 9 in the Race,” said Tsonga. “For me what is important today is to play good tennis. I’m really happy with the week I had. Of course, I wanted to do better against Novak. But I’m really happy about this week. It gives me energy to continue to fight for the [Barclays ATP World Tour Finals].”

Buy Your Tickets

Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych have been on the doorstep of qualification in recent weeks and both broke through the threshold with deep runs in Shanghai. Nadal, who has accrued 4,330 points in the Emirates ATP Race To London, advanced to the semi-finals, while Berdych reached the quarter-finals, amassing 4,280 points. The Spaniard – winner of three ATP World Tour titles in 2015 – booked his spot at the Final Showdown for the eighth time after climbing from No. 7 to No. 5 in the last two weeks. The Czech – winner in Shenzhen two weeks ago – punched his ticket for a sixth successive year.

Read: Nadal & Berdych Qualify For London

Six of the eight places are now occupied at the season finale, with Race leader Novak Djokovic surging to a jaw-dropping 14,285 points haul with his third Shanghai title. Murray, Federer and Stan Wawrinka have also qualified for the ATP World Tour’s signature event.

Kei Nishikori and David Ferrer round out the elite eight in the latest standings, with both contenders looking to rebound following early exits in Shanghai. The Japanese sits ahead of the Spanish veteran by 500 points, with Ferrer holding a near-1,000 point advantage over Tsonga. Richard Gasquet and Kevin Anderson also have slim hopes of crashing the party, currently sitting at No. 10 and No. 11, respectively. Gasquet is seeded second in Stockholm, while Ferrer and Anderson lead the field in Vienna.

Read: Four Doubles Teams Qualify For London

The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals has welcomed more than 1.5 million fans to The O2 arena over the past six years, establishing itself as the biggest indoor tennis tournament in the world since moving to London in 2009. Tickets to the tournament, which takes place from 15-22 November, can be purchased at: www.BarclaysATPWorldTourFinals.com.

Barclays ATP World Tour Finals – The Contenders

Based on the calendar-year Emirates ATP Race To London standings as of Monday, 19 October 2015. The top eight eligible players will qualify.

Player YTD Points In Action This Week?

(1) Novak Djokovic 14,285 No

(2) Andy Murray 7,870 No

(3) Roger Federer 6,750 No

(4) Stan Wawrinka 6,140 No

(5) Rafael Nadal 4,330 No

(6) Tomas Berdych 4,280 Stockholm

(7) Kei Nishikori 3,945 No

(8) David Ferrer 3,445 Vienna

(9) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 2,500 Vienna

(10) Richard Gasquet 2,445 Stockholm

(11) Kevin Anderson 2,385 Vienna

(12) John Isner 2,315 Vienna

( Courtesy of the ATP and Original Link – http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/emirates-atp-race-to-london-update-2015-tsonga-surges-to-ninth )

Topics: Andy Murray, ATP Race To London, Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, David Ferrer, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Kei Nishikori, Kevin Anderson, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Richard Gasquet, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Tennis, Tennis News, Tomas Berdych

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10sBalls_com says:

October 19, 2015 at 8:39 am

- @tsonga7 SURGES TO NINTH IN RACE AS @tomasberdych & @RafaelNadal PUNCH TICKETS http://t.co/BTmwahSfug #tennis #Tsonga #ATPWorldTourFinals