Tsonga steels for Shanghai showdown

PARIS: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's Paris Masters win on Sunday made it six Europeans into the season-closing Masters Cup in Shanghai with Andy Roddick and Juan Martin Del Potro the only exceptions in the elite eight-man field.

Tsonga gatecrashed his way into the showdown in China with a thrilling 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win over defending champion David Nalbandian of Argentina in the final of the last regular season tournament in front of 14,000 fans at the Bercy Sport stadium.

The 23-year-old from Le Mans was the first Frenchman to win here since Sebastien Grosjean in 2001 and in Shanghai from Nov 9-16 he will join defending champion Roger Federer, world No 1 Rafael Nadal, Djokovic, Andy Murray, Nikolay Davydenko, Roddick and Argentine Del Potro.