Tsonga ousted at Japan Open

Former champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga crashed out of the Japan Open in the second round on Wednesday, ambushed 6-4, 7-6 by Croatia’s Ivan Dodig in the tournament’s first major upset. Top seed Juan Martin del Potro thrashed fellow Argentine Carlos Berlocq 6-2, 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of the $1.43 million event in Tokyo before Tsonga, still feeling his way back from a knee injury, was unceremoniously bundled out. The world number eight, champion in 2009, retired from the second round at Wimbledon and only returned at Metz a week ago, reaching the final. He beat fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils in the first round in Tokyo but never got out of the blocks against Dodig. Dodig’s persistence forced Tsonga into a string of wild misses, the end coming when he dumped a forehand into the net to surrender the second-set tiebreak 7-5 and gift-wrap the Croat a second victory in two meetings. Del Potro looked a different player in his first meeting with countryman Berlocq. “I played very solid,” the 2009 US Open champion told reporters. “I served well, hit my forehand really well and tried to be aggressive. I played much better than yesterday,” he added.