Live Tennis Staff - 1 Sep 2011
Crowd pleaser Jo-Wilfried Tsonga looks to continue his comfortable US Open progress against qualifier Sergei Bubka.
Tsonga looks likely to set up a third round clash with Fernando Verdasco barring any major surprises today.
For long-time sport lovers, the name of Sergei Bubka conjures up memories of Olympic pole vault competitions from the ‘80s but unfortunately for his son, he is unlikely to ever escape from the shadow of his famous father.
Bubka junior has spent years trying to carve out a respectable tennis career for himself but he’s never been able to get beyond a career high of 176. However he’s having a promising summer, reaching a challenger final in Kazakhstan and qualifying for the year’s final major. He took full advantage of a decent first round draw, beating Austrian journeyman Andreas Haider-Maurer 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.
However he won’t stand a chance against Tsonga, the world number 11, who’s determined to get past the fourth round for the first time in New York. The Frenchman started strongly, beating Yen-Hsun Lu 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 and a good run over the next fortnight could see him back in the top ten.