Tsonga downs Monfils in Qatar Open final

Doha: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga shrugged off a slow start to down Gael Monfils 7-5, 6-3 in an all-French final at the Qatar Open on Saturday.

The sixth-ranked Tsonga, who reached the final when Roger Federer withdrew with an injury, fell behind 3-1 then found his rhythm, coming to the net more often and reeling off the final four games to win the first set.

The momentum carried over into the second set, when Tsonga broke Monfils to go up 4-2 and won the match when Monfils hit a backhand into the net after a long rally.

The match was delayed for 35 minutes after the first game by a fog which made the court too slippery.