Monfils battles past Simon

Gael Monfils booked his place the final of the Open Sud de France with a 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 victory over Gilles Simon.

Frenchman through to Open Sud de France final

Gael Monfils booked his place the final of the Open Sud de France with a 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 victory over Gilles Simon. The defending champion saved a match point to beat the second seed and reach his second final this season after reaching the Qatar Open final in January. Monfils grabbed a 2-1 lead in the first set after breaking in the third game but Simon broke back in the sixth and then put the third seed under pressure at 5-4 before taking 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 tie-breaker before levelling the game. He went on to clinch the decider against his compatriot and claim his place in the last two in Montpellier. He will play Tomas Berdych for the title after the Czech world number seven saw off Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber in a match with fewer twists and turns than the first semi-final, posting a 6-3 6-4 win.