Hamburg: Australian Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga recovered from a first set white-wash to beat French compatriot Nicolas Mahut in the first round of the Hamburg Masters Series here.

Tsonga got off to a rusty start, winning just 12 of 40 points in the first set, but bounced back to record a 0-6,7-6 (7/5), 6-3 win after one hour and 55 minutes.

The 23-year-old roared back to hit five aces and won 33 of his 39 first-service points in the second and third sets as he vastly improved his game.

"Nicolas was better than me in the first set," said the number 14 seed. "He put me under pressure at the back of the court and I had to fight.

"I was battling against myself in my head, I had an idea that I would be the winner and it pulled me through. I feel good on clay, I can play well on this surface, but it takes time to adjust, it's not like you can just snap into it. With more experience I will do better," he said. 

Since his Australian Open final appearance earlier in the year when he lost to Novak Djokovic in Melbourne, Tsonga said he is now treated differently on the ATP tour.

"All the players see me differently and the games seem to be more difficult," he said.
Source : PTI