Monfils to face Berdych in Montpellier final
Posted 04/02/2012 14:00 by TENNIS.com - Headlines 0 comments
MONTPELLIER, France (AP)—Defending champion Gael Monfils saved a match point to edge second-seeded Gilles Simon 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 and reach the Open Sud de France final on Saturday.
Monfils will meet top-seeded Tomas Berdych, who beat Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-3, 6-4.
Simon rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the final set, leveling at 4-4, but he dropped serve again to lose the all-French match.
“It’s not easy to outmaneuver Gilles,” Monfils told Sport Plus television. “I tried to be aggressive. I missed some shots in the beginning but that’s what made a bit of the difference in the end.”
Monfils whipped a forehand winner to break for a 2-1 lead in the first set, but Simon broke back in the sixth game with a backhand return winner.
Simon put Monfils under pressure at 5-4 and took the first set when Monfils sent a forehand into the net.
Monfils saved eight break points in the second set, including a match point at 6-5, to force a tiebreaker. He leveled at one set apiece on a forehand error from Simon.
Monfils will play in his second final this season after reaching the Qatar Open final last month.
Berdych broke Kohlschreiber once in each set and saved all five break points he faced.
The Czech clinched victory when Kohlschreiber netted a backhand.
Berdych will chase his first title since winning the China Open last October.
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