At one stage, second seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga bowed down to Finn Jarkko Nieminen in their second round Brisbane International clash.
But in the end, it was Nieminen who was brought to his knees after world No.7 Tsonga sensationally fought back from a set and a break down to clinch a rollercoaster match 0-6 7-6(1) 7-6(5) lasting more than two hours.
Tsonga, 23, looked set to become the second big name to depart in as many days at the inaugural event after world No.41 Nieminen ambushed the Frenchman 6-0 in a first set that lasted just 27 minutes.
Organisers were no doubt sweating bullets when the livewire Frenchman conceded an early break in the second barely 24 hours after top seed Novak Djokovic had crashed out in the first round.
Indeed it seemed the left-handed Finn could do no wrong on Wednesday.
By the second set Tsonga dropped to the court to do his best “I’m not worthy” impersonation after Nieminen, 27, incredibly belted back the Frenchman’s full-blooded overhead smash to clinch yet another winner.
But cheered on by a vocal crowd, Tsonga regrouped to break back in the seventh game and force a second set tiebreak.
He comfortably sealed it 7-1, and the trademark swagger returned.
The Finn held a break point in the sixth game of the third set but Tsonga held his new-found nerve to hold on and force another tiebreak.
Tsonga’s big serve and powerful forehand helped seal the tense tiebreak 7-5, booking a quarterfinal showdown with seventh-seeded compatriot Richard Gasquet.
While Tsonga has forged an exciting new rivalry in men’s tennis with Australian Open champion Djokovic, Nieminen has also emerged as a potential nemesis for the French livewire.
Twelve months ago the Finn knocked out Tsonga in their only previous meeting – in the semifinals of the 2008 Adelaide men’s tournament, which has merged with the Gold Coast women’s event to create the Brisbane International.
And history looked like repeating when Nieminen broke the usually powerful Tsonga’s serve three times to waltz to an early 6-0 lead in front of a hushed Pat Rafter Arena crowd.
Nieminen – who accounted for popular wildcard and former Australian Open runner-up Marcos Baghdatis in the first round – looked poised to notch another big Brisbane scalp when he broke Tsonga in the third game of the second set.
But the Finn – a journeyman who has finished in the world’s top 50 in six of the last seven years – was quickly reminded that you never count out a champion.
In other major men’s second round results on Wednesday, third-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco beat Croatia’s Mario Ancic 6-2 6-3.
But giant killer Ernests Gulbis failed to back up from his shock opening round win over world No.3 Djokovic.
Barely 24 hours after his boilover victory, world No.53 Gulbis surrendered 6-3 6-4 to France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu, ranked 22 places higher than the little-known Latvian.
Meanwhile, Tsonga said he was not tempted to look for the panic button despite being whitewashed in the opening set by the feisty Finn.
“During the match I stayed really focussed on my objective and I did it,” he said.
“Jarkko played very well at the beginning. For me it was tough. He hit the ball very hard – it is difficult when they play like that.
“It was really difficult to beat him but I did it and I enjoyed it.”
Tsonga had to reach into his full bag of tricks to stay alive in the second set, even pulling off a remarkable shot between the legs – much to the adoring crowd’s pleasure.
Despite his first set scare, Tsonga believed he was on track ahead of this month’s Australian Open.
Tsonga has already declared “war” on the world No.1 tag held by Spain’s Rafael Nadal and delivered another chilling warning on Wednesday night.
“I feel I am getting better and better. I think I played a really good game with Jarkko,” he said.
“My game is here and I hope it is going to stay here.”
He takes on Gasquet on Friday.
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