Frustrated Tsonga ruins racquet after another loss

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has put his frustrations out there for all to see after another early loss in the lead-up to the US Open.

Croatian Ivo Karlovic took 95 minutes to defeat the No.8 seed 6-4 7-6 (11-9) in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters on Wednesday.

Tsonga saved one match point in the tiebreak but could not get ahead of his opponent to force a third set, with the 32-year-old smashing his racquet while Karlovic celebrated.

The loss continues his average run of form in the second half of the year.

Tsonga reached the Australian Open quarter-finals in January, while February proved a successful month as he won titles on the hard courts of Rotterdam and Marseille.

A shoulder injury plauged his next few months but a third triumph - this time on clay in Lyon - suggested better days were on the horizon.

Since then, however, Tsonga lost in the first round of the French Open and the third round at Wimbledon.

A return to the hard courts ahead of Flushing Meadows has not changed his fortunes.

Tsonga lost to world No.24 Sam Querrey in the first round of last week's Montreal Masters before No.44 Karlovic brushed him aside in Cincinnati.

Set to be a high seed given injuries have forced the likes of Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic out of the US Open, Tsonga will be targeted by lower-ranked players for a potential upset win.