Three of the four Metz semifinalists hail from France, with Florian Mayer the only one not a native of the host country. Mayer is going up against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Saturday, while Gilles Simon faces Nicolas Mahut.
(1) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. (8) Florian Mayer
Tsonga and Mayer will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers when they clash in the semifinals of the Moselle Open on Saturday. Both of their previous encounters–both on hard courts–have gone Tsonga’s way; 7-5, 6-3 at the 2010 Shanghai Masters and 6-3, 6-2 at the 2012 Sony Ericsson Open. The eighth-ranked Frenchman is back from knee problems for the first time since Wimbledon and so far this week he has taken out Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Tobias Kamke. Tsonga is 32-11 for the season, which includes an indoor title in Marseille.
Mayer opened with straight-set victories over Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Lukas Lacko before getting past Carlos Berlocq 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 on Friday. The 44th-ranked German is 26-21 for the year and he is coming off a third-round showing at the U.S. Open followed by a pair of Davis Cup singles wins against Brazil. The variety in Mayer’s game will test Tsonga’s rust, but the favorite should have too much power on a fast surface.
Pick: Tsonga in 3
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Nicolas Mahut vs. (2) Gilles Simon
Mahut and Simon will be squaring off for the fourth time in their careers at the ATP level and for the first time in more than three years. Simon leads the head-to-head series 2-1 and all three of their previous meetings have come on hard courts. Mahut advanced 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 in the first round of this same Metz event in 2008, while Simon’s victories came in 2008 (6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in Indianapolis) and 2010 (6-4, 6-4 in Montepellier).
Like Tsonga, Simon is making a comeback from injury this week. The 16th-ranked Frenchman last played in Cincinnati, where he retired in the first round. So far in Metz, Simon has dismissed Kenny De Schepper and Sam Querrey in straight sets. Mahut, who owns titles this season in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Newport, reached the semis thanks to straight-set scalps of Leonardo Mayer, Andreas Seppi, and Benjamin Becker. The 31-year-old is an awesome 16-5 at the ATP level in 2013. Mahut is extremely dangerous on this indoor surface, but Simon’s return of serve and backboard defense should be just enough.
Pick: Simon in 3
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Simon through in straight sets. His legendary defence skills are in full working order!
I’m guessing he will be coming up against Tsonga in the final. Ive not seen J-W play this week so don’t know where his game is at but I think he might have problems trying to bludgeon his way past a confident looking Gilles.