JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Top-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga advanced to the semifinals at the SA Open in Johannesburg, South Africa Friday, beating No. 7 seed Kristof Vliegen 6-4, 6-1.
Tsonga, of France, finally seized control in the third set, and overall, hit nine aces and won 90 percent of points on his first serve against his Belgian opponent.
"I'm moving better than I have been in the last couple of weeks which is a good advantage at (this) altitude," he responded to a question about his mobility.
No. 2 seed David Ferrer of Spain was a 7-5, 6-2 winner against eighth-seeded Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus; Frenchman Jeremy Chardy, the fifth seed, topped fellow Frenchman Sebastien De Chaunac 7-6 (7-4), 6-3; and unseeded Frederico Gil of Portugal knocked No. 4 seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (8-6), 6-3.
In Saturday's semis, Tsonga plays Gil, and Ferrer faces Chardy.
Sunday's champion earns a $79,000 winner's check.
