Roger Federer US Open 2011: Why Federer Will Exact Revenge on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

World No. 3 Roger Federer has lost three times to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal this year, but another unexpected challenger has become Federer's latest nemesis in 2011.

That challenger is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the 26-year-old Frenchman who has defeated him the last two times they've met, at Wimbledon and the Rogers Cup.

Against Mardy Fish in the fourth round of the U.S. Open, Tsonga was impressive, holding off the rising American and eventually wearing him down in the fourth and fifth sets for a rousing victory.

The biggest concern for Federer against Tsonga as they get set for their quarterfinals matchup is that Tsonga has become a workhorse that seemingly never breaks down or fails to seize an open opportunity. He may be the No. 11 player in the world, but a minor slip-up by his opponents usually spells doom for them.

Federer's match with Tsonga in his 30th consecutive trip to the quarterfinals in a major figures to be another stunning matchup in a tournament that has already seen its fair share of surprises and dominance. Based on recent history, it would be easy to call this Federer's last stand before he gives way to Tsonga.

But while Federer appeared vulnerable against No. 28 Marin Cilic in the third round, he almost looked vintage Federer in the fourth round against Juan Monaco. Now Monaco, the No. 36 player in the world, isn't a world-beater, and he isn't even Cilic, but you get the feeling that the 30-year-old from Switzerland would have been able to defeat anyone the way he played. Federer stroked a whopping 42 winners to Monaco's four early Tuesday morning.

But it's Federer's propensity to rise to the occasion, which he's done countless times, that I think will finally overcome Tsonga's streak. For a player like Federer, he actually statistically performs better against top competition, as he reiterated after the Monaco match, via ESPN:

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"Look, I live for the big matches; live for playing a guy who is explosive, has got some firepower. I like to play those kind of players, especially now that we're in the deeper stages of the tournament."

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Tsonga is playing some of the best tennis of his career this season.

Yep, Federer has him right where he wants him.