Tsonga Makes Smooth Progress; Gasquet Upsets Tipsarevic

© Getty ImagesJo-Wilfried Tsonga has a 20-5 record in Melbourne.

World No. 6 and former finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga opened the action Saturday at the Australian Open with a comfortable 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 win over Frederico Gil, the first Portuguese man to appear in the third round of a major.

Tsonga saved all six break points faced on serve and capitalised on six of his seven opportunities during the 91-minute match to notch his 20th win in Melbourne (20-5 record). It also extended his winning streak to eight straight matches, inclusive of his successful title campaign in Doha in the first week of the 2012 ATP World Tour season (d. Monfils).

"Every year and every tournament it's a bit the same story for me. I play better and better every match," he said. "Today I played well and didn't spend a lot of time on court, and it's good for the rest of the tournament. I'm confident."

The 26 year old will look to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals for the fourth time in five years when he next faces No. 24 seed Kei Nishikori of Japan, who defeated Frenchman Julien Benneteau 4-6 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 6-3.

Nishikori is the first Japanese player to reach the fourth-round at the Australian Open after winning 68 per cent of first serves to advance in three hours and 25 minutes. The result equalled his best Grand Slam performance, achieved at the 2008 US Open (l. del Potro). "I’m excited to get through here," said World No. 26 Nishikori. "That's my best result right now in Grand Slam. I want to win [the] next one."

Richard Gasquet, the No. 17 seed, joined his countryman, Tsonga, in the fourth round after taking one hour and 37 minutes to knock out World No. 9 Janko Tipsarevic 6-3, 6-3, 6-1. It marked his third win against a Top 10 player in Grand Slam competition.

Watch Gasquet Interview

Gasquet, who also advanced to the last 16 in 2007 and '08, will bid to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in Melbourne when he next comes up against 2011 semi-finalist David Ferrer. The Spaniard leads Gasquet 5-1 in the FedEx ATP Head2Head, but this will be their first encounter since the 2009 Shanghai Rolex Masters.

World No. 5 Ferrer lost his opening service game against No. 27 seed Juan Ignacio Chela in his third-round match, but regrouped for a 7-5, 6-2, 6-1 victory. Like Tsonga, Ferrer began his 2012 season with a title, successfully defending his Heineken Open crown.