999-1 Tsonga reaches Australian Open final

Australian Open Betting / Editor / 24 January 2008 / Leave a Comment

Unseeded Frenchman can land mammoth win for canny punters on Betfair...

FRENCHMAN Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has been backed at [1000.0] to win the Australian Open on Betfair in what must rank as the tennis punt of the year.

Andy Murray's first round conqueror has produced a stunning run through the championships culminating in a straight sets defeat of second seed Rafael Nadal to reach the final.

So from [1000.0] on the exchange - where a total of £164 has changed hands - Tsonga has plunged to just [4.6] for grand slam glory. The 22-year-old will face either hot favourite and reigning champion Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic in Sunday's decider.

"This is only Tsonga's fifth grand slam so to get to the final is a brilliant achievement," said Betfair spokesman Joe Dyer.

"But hats off to those backers who managed to back this very talented Frenchman at 999-1. That really is a huge price for someone who's likely to play at the very top level for a few years now."

There will be some punters feeling the pain after Tsonga's semi-final win this morning. More than £2,000,000 was traded on Rafael Nadal at prices between [1.5] and [1.2].

Those who had total faith in Tsonga backed a straight sets win for the Frenchman at [20.0].