After having a rather disappointing 2010 season, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga made a fresh start to ATP World Tour in 2011 with Qatar ExxonMobil Open and finished as a semi-finalist. After getting a good start 2011 in Doha, the World No. 6 Frenchman finished the last season on a high note with an impressive 55-24 win-loss record and two ATP World Tour Titles. He must be looking to go beyond the semis this time, as he starts off his campaign for 2012 Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha on Tuesday against Tunisian qualifier Malek Jaziri, who is ranked as World No. 118 in ATP Rankings. This will be a first meeting between the two and considering their present forms and past records, Tsonga apparently appears crushing favourite.

After reaching the semis at Doha, Tsonga finished in the third-round at Aussie Open last season. After that he advanced into the final in Rotterdam and also finished as a quarter-finalist in Marseille. The Frenchman beat David Ferrer and third-seeded Roger Federer to his en-route to the Wimbledon semis. The Frenchman won his sixth ATP World Tour title in September where he beat Ivan Ljubicic in the final at Metz. After producing consistent results on tour, Tsonga qualified for the year ending ATP World Tour Finals, where he finished as a runner-up.

Tsonga’s opponent Malek Jaziri has a poor 3-3 win-loss record in the last season. In 2010, he appeared in the qualifying draw of the Aussie Open, but lost in the opening round. In 2011 he qualified for the US Open main draw and also reached the second-round, where he was beaten by Mardy Fish. Jaziri also plays for the Tunisian Davis Cup team. If he manages to beat Tsonga today, then it would be the biggest win of his career so far.