Metz SF previews and picks: Tsonga vs. Kohlschreiber, Simon vs. Klizan

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gilles Simon are one round away from a potential all-French title match in Metz. They first have to get through respective semifinal meetings on Saturday with Philipp Kohlschreiber and Martin Klizan.

(5) Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. (3) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Tsonga and Kohlschreiber will be squaring off for the ninth time in their careers when they battle for a spot in the Moselle Open final on Saturday. The head-to-head series stands at 7-1 in favor of Tsonga, who has never lost to Kohlschreiber in tournament play. Only at the now-defunct World Team Championship in Dusseldorf has the German ever gotten the best of Tsonga (via a 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-3 clay-court decision in 2009). The two veterans most recently faced each other last year in Monte-Carlo, where Tsonga prevailed 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.

These two competitors experienced much different days at the office on quarterfinal Friday in Metz. Kohlschreiber, who had previously defeated John Millman and Paolo Lorenzi in straight sets, got a walkover from No. 1 seed Stan Wawrinka. Tsonga faced fellow Frenchman Nicolas Mahut and recovered from a break down in the final set to score a 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-5 victory. This is a good opportunity for a well-rested Kohlschreiber, who is 11-2 in his last 13 matches. But Tsonga is playing at home, has an advantage indoors, and it is hard not to like his chances based on his past dominance of the world No. 33.

Pick: Tsonga in 3

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(6) Martin Klizan vs. (2) Gilles Simon

Simon often excels at the 250-point level–especially at home in France–and he may be inspired to make a late push for an alternate spot at the World Tour Finals. So it should come as no surprise that the world No. 10 is off to a strong start in Metz. Following a first-round bye, Simon trounced Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-4, 6-2 and Gilles Muller 6-4, 6-4.

Standing in Simon’s way of the final is Klizan, who is 0-2 in the head-to-head series. The Frenchman advanced via Klizan retirement while leading 6-7(6), 6-3, 3-0 two season ago on the indoor hard courts of Rotterdam before getting the job done 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 this spring at Roland Garros. Klizan has advanced this week with a third-set retirement from Paul-Henri Mathieu, a 6-4, 7-6(7) defeat of Vasek Pospisil, and a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4) win over Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. The 35th-ranked Slovak would be a clear underdog even at 100 percent, and the long matches preceding this test against Simon will not help.

Pick: Simon in 2

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