MARSEILLE: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga advanced to the semi-finals of the ATP event in Marseille on Friday by defeating fellow Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-4 7-5.
Tsonga took advantage of his bruising serve, winning 70 per cent of points behind his service and sending down 14 aces, while limiting his opponent to a solitary break.
Tsonga, the tournament's top seed, will face the winner of the match between Richard Gasquet and Juan Martin Del Potro on Saturday for a place in the final.
The 26-year-old, who won the Qatar Open at the start of January, owns a 11-1 record this season, with the only blemish a fourth-round loss to Japan's Kei Nishikori at the Australian Open.
Albano Olivetti, the world 388 who knocked out American world number eight Mardy Fish in the second round, saw his run ended by fellow Frenchman Michael Llodra 7-6 (7/5), 7-5.
Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2012
