Miami Open 2022: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs Jordan Thompson preview, head-to-head & prediction
Match details
Fixture: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs Jordan Thompson
Date: 23 March 2022
Tournament: Miami Open
Round: First round (Round of 128)
Venue: Miami, Florida, USA
Category: ATP 1000
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $8,584,055
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Voot
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs Jordan Thompson preview
The first round of the 2022 Miami Open will feature an exciting first-round encounter between Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Jordan Thompson.
Tsonga, who was sidelined from the tour after sustaining an injury in July last year, entered the tournament by virtue of a protected ranking. He will be playing in just his fourth ATP event this season.
The Frenchman has scored wins over Kacper Zuk and Gilles Simon this season, but given his lack of match practice, he is not expected to go very far in Miami.
Thompson, meanwhile, has endured a rough start to the season. Barring a quarter-final appearance at the Dallas Open, the Aussie has made early exits from all the other tournaments he has competed in.
Thompson does, however, enjoy playing in Miami, where he made the second week back in 2019. This remains his best result at a Masters 1000 event.
He also showed signs of his best form at the BNP Paribas Open, beating David Goffin before losing to Grigor Dimitrov in a close encounter.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs Jordan Thompson head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between Tsonga and Thompson, so their current head-to-head stands at 0-0.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs Jordan Thompson prediction
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will enter this match as the underdog. Due to his injury struggles, the Frenchman has had very little game time over the last few years and it will be difficult for him to settle into a rhythm right off the bat.
Jordan Thompson, who heads into the encounter without too many wins of his own recently, will hope to take advantage of Tsonga's rustiness.
A competent baseliner, Thompson enjoys long exchanges from the back of the court. He will look to extend the rallies to try and expose Tsonga's lack of speed and agility, one of his most glaring weaknesses.
Tsonga is the more powerful of the two and can hit winners from anywhere on the court. A lot, however, will depend on his physical fitness.
Serving numbers will also be key for the Frenchman, who could use a few easy points. Tsonga will need to find a way to keep the points short and not indulge in longer exchanges. Unless he can do that, Thompson will likely wear him down.
Prediction: Jordan Thompson to win in three sets