Qatar Open 2012: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Defeats Gael Monfils In Final

Qatar Open 2012 Final Results: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Wins After Roger Federer Withdraws

The 2012 Qatar Open wrapped up on Saturday with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga picking up a victory for his eighth career title in the warm-up event for the Australian Open. Tsonga got lucky to make it to the championship match against Gael Monfils considering he only advanced because Roger Federer was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Tsonga defeated Monfils in straight sets with 7-5, 6-3 final scores after falling behind 3-1 in the opener. The Frenchman talked about the early setback in an interview with the Associated Press.

"At the beginning, it was bit difficult. He broke me very early and it was tough," Tsonga told the AP. "But in my head, everything was right, OK, I'm one break down. I will continue to play my game and make him run a lot. I think it was good solution. After that, he was bit tired of that and I was better than him."

Tsonga had previously reached the finals in the last two events he entered -- the Paris Masters and ATP Finals -- but lost both to Federer. He was able to advance past Federer in this tournament, however, because the Swiss star forfeited their semifinals match due to back spasms.

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Qatar Open 2012: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer Out; Gael Monfils To Face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga In Final

Both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer participated in the 2012 Qatar Open, but as Friday's competition drew to a close, the final match had been set and neither man ended up being a participant.

Federer pulled out of his semifinal match on Friday against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga due to back spasms, according to the Associated Press via Sports Illustrated. After advancing to the semis by beating Andreas Seppi in three sets on Thursday, Federer was still experiencing back muscle spasms and announced his withdrawal from the tournament 30 minutes prior to the semifinal match. Federer hopes to get treatment and rest in preparation for the Australian Open, which begins on January 16. This is only the second time Federer has ever pulled out of a tournament due to injury.

In an upset on Friday, Rafael Nadal was defeated in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 by Gael Monfils in the other semifinal match. This is only the second time in ten career meetings that Monfils has defeated Nadal, according to the Associated Press.

The No. 6-ranked Tsonga and No. 7-ranked Monfils will face off in the Qatar Open final in an all-French match on Saturday.

For all the latest news and information on tournaments, injuries and everything in between, please visit The Daily Forehand, SB Nation's dedicated tennis blog.

Qatar Open 2012: Federer, Nadal One Round Away From Showdown

The world's top players, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, are one step closer to a showdown in Qatar. First, the World No. 2 and World No. 3, respectively, will have to win their semifinal match. Nadal won 6-4, 6-4 against Russian Mikhail Youzhny.

From Firstpost.com:

"I think I played really well," Nadal said in a courtside interview. "At the end of the match, it was a little bit nervous, which is normal for the start of the season."

Nadal will meet the tournament's No. 4 seed Gael Monfils in his semifinal match.

Federer won his 20th consecutive match (dating back to his semifinal loss to Djokovic in the 2011 U.S. Open). The Swiss tennis star took three sets to beat the tournaments eighth seed, Italy's Andreas Seppi. The final score was 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in the Fed's favor.

He committed only 41 unforced errors.

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

"The third was pretty close and I am happy to get through," said Federer. "I am relieved to be in the semi-finals."

Federer will face Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinal round. Federer, the tournament's No. 2 seed, is the defending champion in Qatar.

Qatar Open 2012: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer Move On

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer both extended win streaks on Wednesday in Doha, Qatar at the 2012 Qatar Open.

Nadal sailed into the quarterfinals after an easy 6-2, 6-2 victory against qualifier Denis Gremelmayr of Germany. Nadal extended his streak of beating players outside the top 100 with the win, and is now at 45 straight such victories. He will face Russia's Mikhail Youzhny next.

Federer also cruised into the quarterfinals with an easy victory against a qualifier. The Swiss tennis star beat Solvenia qualifier Grega Zelmja,6-2 6-3. With the victory, the Fed has won 19 straight matches. His last loss was in the U.S. Open semifinals to Novak Djokovic. (The 44-minute loss Federer took to Djokovic last week was an exhibition match and doesn't count toward this match count.) Andreas Seppi of Italy is Federer's next opponent.

From the Chicago Tribune:

The Swiss laid down his title credentials for the Australian Open later this month with yet another quickfire victory and has now dropped just nine games in two matches in Doha.

"The year-end was very short. I'm trying to maintain my level and carry it on in 2012," the 16-times grand slam champion said in a court-side interview.

No. 6 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga saved two sets points in his first set on Wednesday before taking the set 7-6. He eventually beat Italy's Flavio Cipolla with a 6-3 second set.

Tsonga experimented with serve and volley throughout the match, he said, in hopes of finding a tactic to play against the "Big Four."

From New Zealand's Stuff.com:

(Tsonga) said in a court-side interview. "I try to improve my game. I need something different than them to be better. I will try to go to the net more."

Tsonga will meet Albert Ramos of Spain in the next round.

Qatar Open 2012 Scores And Results: Roger Federer Beats Nikolay Davydenko

Despite a rough weekend in which he was badly beaten by both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer won his opening-round match in Doha against Nikolay Davydenko.

The Swiss tennis star defeated Davydenko in just 54 minutes, giving up only four games. Federer is the tournament's defending champion. He beat Davydenko 6-3, 6-4 last year for the title. From First Post Sports:

"It was a combination of me playing really well and Nikolay not finding his range like we're used to seeing in the past," Federer told reporters. "This is obviously an important step to get used to the conditions."

All other seeds advanced, but not as easily as Federer.

It took No. 1 seeded Rafael Nadal a three-set, 2.5 hour match to beat Philipp Kolschreiber.

No. 3 seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga overcame a tight three set match to win his first round match. In his first appearance in Doha, Tsonga beat wildcard entry Malek Jaziri, 7-6, 6-7, 6-1.

The struggling 26-year-old Frenchman said he didn't come into the tournament with a lot of preparation. From the Times of India:

Tsonga said from a courtside interview ... "However, I'm here and hopefully I will play good tennis."

Gael Monfils, the No. 4 seed, advanced to the second round after winning his match against Rui Machado, 7-5, 6-3.

Qatar Open 2012: Roger Federer's Match With Nikola Davydenko Highlights Day 2