Tsonga wins in Paris

Paris, November 3:

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga provided a first home win in seven years at the Paris Masters on Sunday and in the process gatecrashed the prestigious Masters Cup in Shanghai.

The 23-year-old from Le Mans, who burst onto the world stage in January by reaching the Australian Open final, defeated defending champion David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 on the back of an outstanding service game that produced 25 aces.

The win ensured Tsonga the last of the eight slots for the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai.

Tsonga reached the final by defeating three players in top 10 in Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick and James Blake.

Tsonga is the first Frenchman to win here since Sebastien Grosjean in 2001. In Shanghai event, from November 9-16, Tsonga will join defending champion Roger Federer, World No 1 Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Nikolay Davydenko, Andy Roddick and Juan Martin del Potro.