Weekly Update: Murray and Tsonga Begin the Year With Titles

Jan 9, 2012
Thomas Drake

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - Carine06

World number's 4 and 6, Andy Murray and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, made the best possible starts to 2012 as they set down markers on the first week of the season.

Having both been finalists at the Australian Open in recent years, the rich vain of form shown by both will be an ominous sign for their rivals.

ATP Tour

Tsonga beat fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils in straight sets 7-5 6-3 with a short delay when fog suspended play early in the opening set. At the short interlude Monfils, who had put out Rafa Nadal in the semis, was ahead with a break of serve but he couldn't quite nail the advantage home and Tsonga came crashing back to win the first set. A mix of aggression and quality at the net proved to be decisive and using the momentum he gained after an hour's play, Tsonga finally finished his opponent to win in 117 minutes.

As for Murray, he faced several tough tasks in his early matches against the likes of Mikhail Kukushkin and Gilles Muller, but these close encounters only seemed to push his tennis to the level he has been yearning. Watched on by his new "full-time" coach Ivan Lendl, the Scot won his next three matches at Brisbane in straight sets against Marcos Baghdatis, home favourite Bernard Tomic and Alexandr Dolgopolov in the final. His 6-1 6-3 win over the Ukrainian brought up his 22nd title and was the perfect preparation to attempt to win his maiden major once again.

The other winner this week on the ATP Tour was up and coming youngster Milos Raonic, who enjoyed a bumper breakthrough year in 2011 and begun the new campaign in exactly the same mold. He beat top seed and World Tour finalist Janko Tipsarevic in the final 6-7 7-6 7-6. A closer match you could not find. Incredibly, Raonic hit 35 aces in the final and did not lose his service game once all week. This form is hard to replicate and whilst Murray and Tsonga will have turned heads, Raonic's week will have turned crowds.

WTA Tour

In the first week of the WTA Tour, Zheng Jie won her first title in five and half years as she triumphed in Auckland with the unfortunate withdrawal of Flavia Pannetta due to injury. Back ranked inside the world's top 50, Jie is hoping to replicate fellow countryman Na Li in bringing Grand Slam success back to Asia. In Brisbane Kaia Kanepi beat an established field in to win the women's half of the draw.

In three weeks two more players will be crowned Grand Slam champions as the Australian Open takes place. Whether anyone new will be on the roll of honour is debatable, but with some different players appearing to hit their peak at the right time, who's to say that it won't happen very soon.