VIENNA — Jo-Wilfried Tsonga rallied from a set and a break down to beat Juan Martin Del Potro 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 Sunday in the final of the Erste Bank Open, claiming his second title of the season and seventh overall.
The top-seeded Tsonga will officially move past Mardy Fish to No. 7 in the 2011 points list on Monday. The top eight will qualify for the season-ending ATP finals in London next month.
"It was really difficult, Juan Martin played great until in the second set," said Tsonga, who beat Del Potro for the first time in four career meetings. "I was a bit down after losing that tiebreaker but I didn't give away any easy points afterward."
The second-seeded Del Potro, who is now 9-4 in career finals, is still waiting for his first victory at an indoor event. The Argentine will climb to 11th on the points list, leaving him with a slim chance of reaching the London event.
Both players held serve in the opening set until the tiebreaker. Tsonga was 0-40 down in his opening service game but used four aces to hold. He then missed three chances to break Del Potro's serve at 4-4.
In the tiebreaker, the Frenchman handed Del Potro a first set point by double-faulting at 5-5 and then hit a forehand long in the next rally.
Del Potro used his first break ball to go 2-1 up in the second set but Tsonga responded by winning four straight games and closed out the set with an ace.
Del Potro hit a forehand wide on the only break point in the final set before Tsonga wrapped up victory with an approach shot that wrong-footed the 2009 U.S. Open champion.
It was the 12th ATP final this season that featured the top two seeds, but only the fifth time the No. 1 actually won the title.