Tsonga takes a giant leap by overwhelming Nadal

MELBOURNE, Australia -- After Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France used sheer power and audacious shot-making he called “ridiculous” to brush aside second-seeded Rafael Nadal in the semifinals here, some experts -- among them TV commentator and former champion Jim Courier -- said a star had been born.

The unseeded Tsonga’s 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 victory, achieved in less than two hours, put him in Sunday’s Australian Open final against either No. 1 Roger Federer or No. 3 Novak Djokovic, who met in the other semifinal early today.

Everyone has detected a bit of something in the talented 22-year-old from Le Mans. The French see a Yannick Noah-like charisma. Others note a resemblance to a young Muhammad Ali and, indeed, his tour nickname is Ali. Some fans see an Alex Rodriguez resemblance.

His coach, former tour player Eric Winogradsky, blinked back tears after Thursday’s match. The French sports daily L’Equipe captured the mood of a wildly unexpected and electric evening with this headline (translated) on its website:

“Astounding. Head in the Clouds.”

Back on Earth, Tsonga admitted he had never played so well. Forget almost perfect, he said.

“Everything was in and my backhand worked a lot, and my serve also, my forehand, my volley, my drop shot, everything,” he said when asked what he liked about his game. “I was moving on the court like never I move. So everything was perfect.”

Nadal, the three-time French Open champion from Spain, could only smile after Tsonga nervelessly found the precise bit of a corner with an overhead in the final game.

“I try to play my best,” Nadal said. “I tried to play a little bit slower. I tried to play a little bit faster. I tried to play more inside the court, behind the court. No chance.”

By the numbers

Tsonga’s power on the Grand Slam stage summoned images of earlier breakout performances:

Marat Safin’s emphatic arrival in the U.S. Open final in 2000, when he beat Pete Sampras, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

Mark Philippoussis’ hint of promise -- which would go mostly unfulfilled -- when he served 29 aces in the third round to defeat Sampras at the Australian Open, 6-4, 7-6 (9), 7-6 (3), in 1996.

Sampras’ first Grand Slam title, at 19, when he beat Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe and Andre Agassi in the final three rounds at the 1990 U.S. Open, dominating Agassi, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

Squeaky wheel

Daniela Hantuchova, who won the first eight games of her semifinal against Ana Ivanovic and lost 0-6, 6-3, 6-4, had an unusual complaint, saying she had been distracted while serving by the squeaking of her opponent’s shoes.

“I was really surprised with that,” she said. “I think it’s unfair. We played before and she never did it.”

Quote of the day

“You guys like sharks. You guys sharks,” Yuri Sharapov, father of finalist Maria Sharapova, to Linda Pearce of the Melbourne Age newspaper.

Greg Norman was nowhere in sight.

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lisa.dillman@latimes.com

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ON THE WEB

Men’s semifinals: No. 1 Roger Federer battled No. 3 Novak Djokovic earlier today to decide who would face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the finals.

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www.latimes.com/sports.