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It’s an all-French affair as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga plays Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the third round of the Australian Open. Join The Roar for live scores from 1pm (AEDT).
Tsonga impressed in his second-round victory, over Australian Omar Jasika, and looks set to continue his journey to the latter stages of the Australian Open.
Standing in his way today is countryman Herbert, who established himself on the doubles circuit in 2015. Partnering Nicolas Mahut, Herbert made the 2015 Australian Open double’s final, before breaking through for a maiden grand slam victory at the US Open.
His career in singles has been solid, making one ATP tour final last season, at Winston Salem, where he lost to Kevin Anderson.
Like most French players, Herbert plays with flair and will ask Tsonga a question or two. Tsonga however has Herbert covered when it comes to power – the former’s serve and forehand are mighty weapons, and he will be hard to stop if he finds his range.
Given his prowess on the doubles circuit, expect Herbert to employ a serve-and-volley approach in a bid to mix things up against an opponent who is comfortable playing from the baseline.
Prediction
If Herbert can play good percentage tennis and hold serve, he is a chance of winning a set against the former Australian Open finalist. But while Herbert will keep his countryman honest, a fit and firing Tsonga should seal passage to the fourth round.
Tsonga in four sets.