Fifth title of the year for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – or the third for Lucas Pouille? This is what it’s all about on Sunday (14:00 hrs) in the Wiener Stadthalle.
He knows Philipp Kohlschreiber, his opponent from the semi-finals, much better than Sunday’s finalist Lucas Pouille. This was explained by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga after the match against Germany’s longstanding number one. In fact, Tsonga only played Pouille twice, but he was the winner on both occasions.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s way into the final of Vienna was much more difficult than that of his compatriot. Especially in the first set of his quarter-final against Alexander Zverev it didn’t look good for Tsonga, but only in the second round the Frenchman was able to set himself apart. Also because Zverev entered the match weakened due to a gastrointestinal disorder.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga dominated in the days of Vienna with his serve, but he worked his way through the net with his forehand and good opportunities. He is a man of the offensive, but he also has a good command of the tempo change.
Lucas Pouille on the other hand can do everything well, but the 23-year-old’s athletics, who lives in Dubai, is outstanding. The victory against Kyle Edmund in the semi-finals in Vienna will be recorded in the category “Arbeitssieg”, against Richard Gasquet, the Thiem-Bezwinger, in the previous round things went better.
The duel between the two Frenchmen, who are close friends with each other, is particularly explosive because both Tsonga and Pouille are candidates for the Davis Cup final against Belgium.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the favourite betting provider at Interwetten with a odds of 1.45. Lucas Pouille’s win will be 2.55.