Simon survives, Tsonga upset in Paris

Updated November 03, 2012 10:14:02

Gilles Simon thrilled home fans by reaching the semi-finals of the Paris Masters as he beat Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-4, but fellow home favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga lost in straight sets to David Ferrer.

The Spanish fourth seed Ferrer, winner of his sixth title of the season in Valencia last week, prevailed 6-2, 7-5 in 80 minutes

France had a final chance for success as unseeded Michael Llodra played American Sam Querrey.

Simon will attempt on Saturday night (AEDT) to end the dream run of lanky Polish qualifier Jerzy Janowicz, who reached the final four as eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic quit with illness ("sudden fatigue") after being seen on court by the doctor, 3-6, 6-1, 4-1.

The victory was the second surprise in 24 hours for Janowicz, ranked 69th, who stunned Andy Murray on Friday (AEDT).

The first Polish player to play a Masters 1000 quarter-final is now the first into the semis at the elite level after Tipsarevic threw in the towel after one and three-quarter hours.

The Serb was the last man to qualify for the season final in London which begins on Monday. Janowicz fired a modest nine aces, produced 33 winners and broke Tipsarevic four times.

"I really want to play 100 per cent and do everything I need to win the match,'' said Simon of his next challenge.

"If I win, it's going to be fabulous, but if I lose, it's going to be easier to accept."

Janowicz was overjoyed with another day of victory.

"In the second and third set I just played the best tennis of my life," said the stunned winner. "I didn't know actually I can play that good.

"I had like a cold start, but after this first set I just relaxed a little bit - and I did something magical.

"I just played really like I can put every single ball in, and I'm in semi-final. It's really not easy for me to realize actually what is going on in my life right now."

Simon has been making his own luck all week after starting out by beating former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis and then putting out lucky loser Victor Hanescu, who replaced absent top seed Roger Federer in the draw.

Simon had a free pass into the quarters as Japan's Kei Nishikori pulled out before their third-round match with an ankle injury.

Simon said he was satisfied with his performance and was happy to play well at a tournament that he loves in front of a home crowd, including his young son.

"I grew up not far from here (Fontenay-sous-Bois). It's the tournament that I watched when I was young. I've always wanted to do well. Up until not it's always not gone badly. It feels good to finally do well.

"I had good feelings today, I made very few unforced errors. I was very consistent during the whole match."

"I hope I'll go even further," he added.

Berdych has been on a roll, winning 22 of his last 26 matches at the Masters event which he won in 2005. He has now lost to Simon in five of seven matches.

"He was just too good today, he made no mistakes at all," said Berdych. "I lost to a better player today, he played well and deserved to win."

AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, france

First posted November 03, 2012 10:14:02

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Aussie Duckworth bows to Simon

Updated January 04, 2012 19:21:39

Bernard Tomic is Australia's only men's hope remaining at the Brisbane International after wildcard James Duckworth went down in straight sets.

Duckworth was outclassed by Frenchmen Gilles Simon 6-3, 7-5 in 89 minutes but, in the process, impressed with his tenacity to take the match up to the world number 12.

Simon started in ominous fashion with two thundering aces which unsettled the 19-year-old Sydneysider who was quickly down 0-3 in the opening set.

Yet Duckworth, who was playing only his second ATP tournament, did not crumple.

Even after dropping his opening serve in the second set, he broke back soon after and started to dictate terms, winning the ninth game on serve to love.

A stroke of luck presented Simon with a break point in the 11th game when a backhand pass clipped the net and dropped over to Duckworth's frustration.

The Frenchman pounced to quickly close out the match.

It was a valuable education for Duckworth, who was ranked number 275 coming into the event and will climb about 20 places following his exit.

Simon meets either German Philipp Petzschner or Colombian Santiago Giraldo in a quarter-final.

Tomic will be fighting for a quarter-final berth when he takes on Japan's Ito Tatsuma in the opening night session match.

Sixth-seeded Czech Radek Stepanek also made it through to the quarters with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 win over Finland's Jarkko Nieminen.

Inaugural tournament champion Stepanek, who has a 14-2 win-loss record in four visits to Brisbane, will meet third seed Alexandr Dolgopolov in the quarter-finals.

The Ukrainian produced a nail-biting comeback win over Russian Igor Andreev.

Dolgopolov saved match points in the second set before prevailing 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (11-9), 6-2 in two hours and 38 minutes.

Tour veteran Tommy Haas withdrew from his second-round clash because of injury but was hopeful he will be fit to play the Australian Open.

Haas, 33, was due to play Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin but notified tournament officials on Wednesday morning that he was unfit because of a niggling right calf injury.

AAP

Tags: sport, tennis, australia, qld, brisbane-4000

First posted January 04, 2012 13:42:51

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Simon continues Roddick's clay misery

Posted May 10, 2011 12:57:00

France's Gilles Simon piled more clay court misery on American Andy Roddick to advance to the second round of the Italian Open.

Simon came away 6-3, 6-3 winner against the number 12 seed and next meets either Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela or American John Isner for a place in the next round.

"I played a good match in difficult windy conditions," said Simon.

"Even if Andy is more at ease on this fast surface, 6-3, 6-3 against him, for me, it's a very good result. I've been playing good tennis for some weeks."

For Roddick it was a second first round clay-court exit in as many weeks after falling a week ago at the Madrid Open.

"He moves very well, which you don't want to see when you are short of matches like I was today, when you are not getting clean hits," said Roddick.

"We soon got into rallies and it became a battle striking the ball in movement, I was coming second sometimes."

Eleventh seed Mardy Fish flew the flag for the US with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Colombia's Santiago Giraldo but there was bad news for Frenchman Gael Monfils who was forced to withdraw from the tournament citing illness.

"I'm not 100 per cent, I don't have any energy," said 10th seed Monfils, who had been due to play Japan's Kel Nishikori in the first round.

"I haven't felt well for a week. I've caught something, I'm not sure what. I'm going to have tests to see what will happen."

Madrid Masters champion Novak Djokovic's next opponent as he bids to extend his victory streak to 35 matches this year will be Poland's Lukasz Kubot, who gained an impressive 7-6 (7-1), 2-6, 6-2 victory over Uruguayan claycourt specialist Pablo Cuevas, who was a semi-finalist at the recent Estoril Open.

France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga took down Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 6-3, 6-2 in an eagerly anticipated first-round clash while Russia's Igor Andreev advanced past Spaniard Pere Riba 6-4, 7-5.

Serbian 15th seed Viktor Troicki ground down Nikolay Davydenko 6-4, 7-5 and Italian Potito Starace defeated Oleksandr Dolgopolov 6-3, 6-3.

-AFP

Tags: sport, tennis, italy

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