BEIJING: Andy Roddick held off a fierce challenge from Israeli underdog Dudi Sela to win the China Open final yesterday as top seed Jelena Jankovic sealed the women’s title.

Big-serving Roddick, the second seed in the Beijing tournament, overcame 92-ranked Sela 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 while Jankovic thumped Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets.

Pushed throughout by his unfancied opponent, Roddick failed to take two match points in the second set tie-break as Sela recovered to level the match.

In the third and deciding set, Sela, who showed a willingness to come into the net throughout, continued to impress with the range of his shot making, but could not force the break from Roddick.

Instead it was the world No. 8 who made the crucial breakthrough in the sixth game and despite further scares, he took the set 6-3 in a match lasting just over two hours.

“I think he was definitely playing well this week and I thought he played well today also,” Roddick said of Sela, who earlier in the tournament put out top seed David Ferrer and Tommy Robredo.

“At the back of my mind (I knew) I’d played in 38-40 finals and I knew this was his first one so I knew that had to count for something. So I wanted at least to stay in there and compete even though he was the hot player for the majority of the day,”he added. The Israeli was pleased with his performance in the final and said the $524,000 tournament had given him a major confidence boost.

“I’ve shown myself that I can play with these big players and hopefully it will continue like that,” he added.

In the women’s final, top seed and 2007 runner-up Jankovic beat Russia’s Kuznetsova, the 2006 winner, 6-3, 6-2 in one hour, 14 minutes.

Both players fended off break point chances midway through the first set before Jankovic made the breakthrough in the seventh game, forcing another break to take the set.

Fourth seed Kuznetsova could not match the intensity of Jankovic’s play in the second set as the Serbian took a 5-1 lead.

Although Jankovic faltered when serving for the match, a succession of errors from the Kuznetsova racket in the following game gave her another chance and she took the set 6-2.

Jankovic’s victory in the $600,000 women’s tournament takes her to within a handful of points of world number one Serena Williams.

Meanwhile in the men’s doubles final, Australia’s Stephen Huss and Britain’s Ross Hutchins beat Australian Ashley Fisher and Bobby Reynolds, from the United States, 7-5, 6-4.

Tsonga stuns Djokovic to

win Thailand Open

In Bangkok, Second-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won his maiden tour title after stunning top seed Novak Djokovic 7-6, 6-4 at the Thailand Open yesterday.

Tsonga exacted his revenge for his loss to Djokovic in this Year’s Australian Open final with a determined performance to deny the Serb his fourth title of the year.

The $576,000 Bangkok tournament was the hard-hitting Frenchman’s second since returning from a three-month layoff following knee surgery.

“This win is very special, I’ve wanted this since I was young,” Tsonga said. “This is a dream come true. I’m happy to win, Novak is a great player.

“In tennis, you have to enjoy the moment. It’s great to win at last and I want to win more and more.” Tsonga, who burst on to the scene as an unseeded giant-killer at the Australian Open, said he had feared playing the world number three because he knew his game too well.

“It’s difficult with my game,” he said. “If you hit the ball hard at him, he hits it back harder.” Tsonga was dealt an early blow when Djokovic broke his serve in the third game, blasting the ball around the court and testing the Frenchman’s speed and movement following his lengthy layoff.

Tsonga rediscovered his confidence and broke back to force a tiebreak, where he surged to a 3-0 lead. However, Djokovic quickly changed his tack, showering the Frenchman with a string of topspin-loaded returns to go 4-3 up.

With the Bangkok crowd behind him, Tsonga answered back with three perfect points, stunning Djokovic with a smash, a delicate drop shot and a fierce forehand to clinch the set.

Tsonga kept his cool in a tight second set and delivered an unreachable drop shot to break Djokovic at 4-4 before staving off three nervous break points to move within a point of victory. He forced the Serb into a desperate lob that landed beyond the baseline before clenching both fists and falling on to his back in celebration.

“I was thinking ‘he cannot break me in this game’,” Tsonga said with a smile. “This was my game.” Djokovic, who has not won a tournament since the Masters Series in Rome in May, said the best man had won.

“I lost against a great player,” he said. “Jo wisely used his opportunities and deserved to win his first title. “I played a bit too defensive today. You have to take your opportunities and I didn’t”