Tsonga Sets All-French Final with Simon in Metz

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Tsonga Sets All-French Final with Simon in Metz

By Chris Oddo/ Saturday, September 21, 2013

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will bid for his third consecutive Metz title on Sunday, after defeating Florian Mayer in three sets in the semifinals.

Photo Source: AP

World No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is enjoying a successful return from the knee injury he suffered at Wimbledon. The Frenchman won his 11th consecutive match at the Mozelle Open in Metz France (d. Ljubicic in 2011 final, d. Seppi in 2012 final), setting up an all-French final with Gilles Simon on Sunday.

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With three Frenchman in the semifinals for the third time since 2003, it's no surprise that it will be an all-French final. But recently rejuvenated Nicolas Mahut was hoping to pull another surprise in the day's first semifinal by reaching his third final of the year.

Gilles Simon, however, had other ideas. The 28-year-old had been off the tour with hip flexor problems for a month, but the hip did not slow him down on Saturday. He didn't face a break point over the course of the one hour and thirty-one minute contest, and in the second set, with Mahut threatening to force a decider, Simon played a steady tiebreaker to finish off his compatriot and book a spot in his fifteenth career ATP final.

Simon, who celebrated the birth of his second son, Valentin, 12 days ago, owns a 10-4 record in those previous finals.

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In the second semifinal Tsonga got off to a lethargic start against his tricky German opponent Florian Mayer, but after dropping the first set in which he faced four break points, Tsonga would only lose another eleven points on his serve in the final two sets.

He broke twice in the second and once in the third to earn his third win in three career tilts against Mayer. Tsonga will bid for his 11th career title in his 18th career final on Sunday. He is also bidding for his second title on home soil in 2013. He won in Marseille, saving match points in two different matches.

Simon is the last player other than Tsonga to win the Metz title. He beat Mischa Zverev in the 2010 final.