 Simon moves into Lyon semis; Clement ousts Tsonga
2009-10-30 17:11:00
Lyon, France (Sports Network) - Second-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon was among Friday's quarterfinal winners, while former champion Arnaud Clement upended top-seeded fellow Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the Lyon Tennis Grand Prix. The wild card Clement survived a match point in a third-set tiebreak, as he outlasted his fellow former Aussie Open runner-up Tsonga 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8) in 2 hours, 47 minutes. Clement withstood a barrage of 27 aces from the big- serving Tsonga. There were only two service breaks in the tight affair, one by each player.
The veteran Clement captured this event nine years ago.
Meanwhile, Simon topped fifth-seeded countryman Julien Benneteau 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 on the indoor carpet at Palais des Sports Lyon Gerland.
Third-seeded Croat Ivan Ljubicic reached the final four with a 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 victory over France's Florent Serra, while Michael Llodra erased fellow Frenchman Marc Gicquel 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. The veteran Ljubicic captured this event in 2001.
Saturday's semifinals will pit Simon against the wild card Llodra and Ljubicic versus his fellow former Lyon champion Clement.
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