Story highlights
Roger Federer defeats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to clinch his first Paris Masters title
World number four beats Frenchman Tsonga 6-1 7-6 to seal 69th career victory
Federer has now won 18 Masters Series titles, one less than world No. 2 Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer finally clinched his first Paris Masters crown Sunday after a straight-sets victory over Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
The world number four took just one hour and 26 minutes to record a 6-1 7-6 win and collect his 18th Masters Series trophy.
Federer has 16 grand slam titles to his name, including the French Open in 2009, but had never previously made the final of the hard-court tournament in Paris.
And the 30-year-old made light work of the opening set, saving two early break points before racing into a 5-0 lead, eventually wrapping it up in just half an hour.
But the second set was a far closer affair as Tsonga forced his way back into the match and took it to a tie break. But Federer snuffed out any hope of a deciding set with an emphatic 7-3 win to move into second place on the all-time Masters Series titles list with 18, one behind Rafael Nadal.
“I’m just really ecstatic to have played so well this week from start to finish,” Federer told the ATP Tour’s official website.
“Basically from first ball struck against (Adrian) Mannarino all the way until the very end here. I couldn’t be more happy.
“I have had many attempts trying to win Paris Bercy, and for some reason, I wasn’t able to win it earlier. But this one obviously feels great and it’s a special victory.”
It was Federer’s 69th career title from 99 finals and he will now take a 12-match winning streak into the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London later this month following his victory in his home event in Basel.
“I have played well for a few months now. Maybe I didn’t win the U.S. Open, but we all know I was one point away from making the finals and then who knows?” he said after becoming the first man to compete in the finals of all nine Masters Series events.
“But Novak was able to come back in that great match against me at the Open. And before that I think I had some really good moments, where I actually did play very well, such as Wimbledon and the French Open where I think more was possible, too.
“I have had some really tough losses this year, but I kept believing that still the year wasn’t over, I can still finish this year on a high, which that proves to be the case. Now I still have a massive highlight coming up in a week’s time.”
Tsonga will move to a career-high sixth in the world rankings on Monday but he rued not being able to take advantage of the two break points he had during the opening game of the final.
“If I had played better at the start it would have changed things. The key of the match was there,” said the 26-year-old, who beat Federer in the Wimbledon quarterfinals this year and then at the Montreal Masters before losing to the Swiss at Flushing Meadows.
“Every time we play each other it’s similar. If I am able to fight back at the start, then I play well. But if I lose the first set like I did today, then it becomes more difficult for me.”
