JO WILFRIED TSONGA SETS GILLES SIMON FINAL REMATCH – TENNIS NEWS

Written by: Staff on 27th September 2015

JO WILFRIED TSONGA SETS GILLES SIMON FINAL REMATCH - TENNIS NEWS

epa04917224 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France hits a return to Benoit Paire of France during their match on the seventh day of the 2015 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 06 September 2015. The US Open runs through 13 September, which is a return to a 14-day schedule. EPA/ANDREW GOMBERT |

Frenchmen renew rivalry in Metz final

For the second time in three years, home hopes Gilles Simon and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will square off in the Moselle Open final.

Second seed Simon will seek a third Metz crown after holding off Martin Klizan 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday. The Frenchman converted on four of six break chances during the one hour and 37 minute affair, but came under heavy pressure in both sets. Klizan earned a break lead at 4-2 in the first and again for 3-0 in the second, but Simon was too strong, breaking back twice and eventually taking his first match point.

“It’s great to be in the final in Metz,” said Simon. “I have a lot of memories. It’s one of my most successful tournaments. Every time I won it, I had a child in the month before. My wife and my son being here in 2013 and lifting the trophy in front of them was a nice memory.”

Simon has not relinquished a set all week in defeating Edouard Roger-Vasselin, Gilles Muller and Klizan, and is poised to renew his rivalry against countryman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Sunday. The Nice native notched a straight sets victory in the Moselle Open final in 2013, adding to his title run in 2010 (d. M Zverev). The World No. 10 will be looking to build on a 12-5 record in ATP World Tour finals.

Tsonga, meanwhile, fired 13 aces en route to a convincing 6-3, 6-4 win over Philipp Kohlschreiber. The Frenchman needed just 69 minutes to prevail, rifling 34 total winners to Kohlschreiber’s eight. Tsonga carries a 17-3 win-loss record in Metz into his fourth final in five years. The champion in 2011 (d. Ljubicic) and 2012 (d. Seppi), he is hoping to add a 12th ATP World Tour title in his 21st final.

“I’m very happy to be in the final,” said Tsonga. “I already played in three finals here and won two. In French, we always say ‘never two without three’ so I hope I will do it.”

Both players are also seeking to improve their standing in the Emirates ATP Race To London, with Simon currently sitting in 14th position with 1,815 points entering the week and Tsonga one spot behind with 1,650 points. Six weeks remain in the quest to punch tickets to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Tsonga owns a 6-3 edge in the FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Simon, having most recently prevailed at the 2014 Australian Open. Victory would move him into a tie for second place among Frenchmen on the Open Era titles list, joining Simon and Richard Gasquet. Only Yannick Noah owns more trophies (23).

( Courtesy of the ATP and Original Link – http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/metz-2015-saturday-sf-tsonga-simon )

Topics: Atp World Tour, Gilles Simon, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Metz, Moselle Open, Tennis News

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10sBalls_com says:

September 27, 2015 at 10:17 am

-@tsonga7 SETS @GillesSimon84 FINAL REMATCH – TENNIS NEWS- http://t.co/JGqm2T1uEu #tennis @MoselleOpen #MoselleOpen #ATP