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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga celebrates winning his third-round match at Wimbledon against Jimmy Wang. Photograph: Tony O'Brien/Action Images

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga booked his place in the fourth round with a straight sets victory over the qualifier Jimmy Wang - and finally earned himself a breather. Having endured two interrupted matches, each stretched over two days, the No14 seed has been forced to ply his trade every day this week.

His match with the opponent from Taiwan was something of a reunion. Both men are now 29 years old. They last played 15 years ago as 14-year-olds. Thereafter, their paths diverged significantly, with Tsonga established as one of the top players in the world and Wang appearing at Wimbledon for the fifth time as a qualifier.

The chance to reconnect on Friday was relatively brief. Tsonga won 6-2, 6-2, 7-5 in just under two and a half hours. It wasn't quite one-way traffic. Wang, conqueror in the previous round of the No17 seed Mikhail Youzhny, found himself able to rally with Tsonga for long periods on a basis of parity. He struck some blows with sharp groundstrokes, notably a ferociously whipped forehand. But for the most part, Tsonga had the last word. He could end the rallies with cleverer angles and heavier shots.

The real difference, however, established over 15 years was Tsonga's serve. He won double the points of his opponent on his first serve. Add to that the endless succession of serves from Tsonga that Wang reached but just couldn't return. Either they died on Wang's racquet or he returned them long.

Tsonga didn't serve with much variety. Most went down the middle, but with a ferocity Wang could not cope with. The qualifier had three break points early in the second set but saw them disappear in a blizzard of aces and service winners from the Frenchman.

The third set was the most competitive. Tsonga, clearly keen for a victory and a rest, raised his game to secure a break but had to wait until the 11th game to achieve it. Once it came, his service game was a formality.

By the time Tsonga had completed his now traditional victory dance, Wang had quietly disappeared from Court Three. Off to his different life and to ponder what the next 15 years might bring. Tsonga, meanwhile, milked the crowd, handing one fan his cap and gifting his towel to a spectator he earlier struck with a wayward serve. At the top, they are forgiven everything.