Israeli tennis player Dudi Sela loses at Australian Open

Israeli tennis player Dudi Sela on Saturday was ousted from the Australian Open, after losing to French opponent Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the 2008 Open runner-up, who has advanced to the fourth round of this year's tournament.

The fifth-seeded Tsonga beat qualifier Sela 6-4, 6-2, 1-6, 6-1.

The 23-year-old Tsonga is one of three Frenchmen into the fourth round, joined by Gilles Simon and Gaels Monfils, who also won matches Saturday.

Sela said that Tsonga was a fierce opponent who did not allow him to play his best tennis. Sela added that by the fourth set, he did not have much strength left to push forward.

"Overall the tournament was good," said Sela. "I have a lot to work on and I have a lot of motivation."

Israeli tennis player Andy Ram and Natalie Dechy, his French partner in mixed doubles, beat their opponents 6-1, 6-4, to advance to the next round.