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Gilles Simon rallies past Mikhail Youzhny into the title match – German Tennis Championships 2011

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Gilles Simon rallies past Mikhail Youzhny into the title match – German Tennis Championships 2011
World number 18 Gilles Simon of France came back after dropping the first set to overcome world number 17 and fourth seed Mikhail Youzhny of Russia in three sets 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the semi-finals at the German Tennis Championships
in Hamburg on Saturday. The French needed two hours and three minutes to oust his opponent in a tough contest.
Youzhny drew the first blood as he broke the French in the fourth game of the first set to grab a 3-1 lead. Simon broke back immediately to reduce the trail to 2-3 but the French was broken again in the very next game to go behind
2-4. Youzhny did not allow Simon to break back again, serving out the set at 5-3.
The Russian kept his first serve percentage at 72 percent and hit a single ace in the opening set. Youzhny converted 74 percent of the first serves into points in the first set. The 29-year-old bagged 33 percent of the second service
points and the same percentage of first return points. The Russian won two of the seven break points he received and could not save the only break point he faced in the opening set.
Simon made a solid start in the second set, winning opening two games to go up 2-0. The French failed to consolidate as he was broken back in the very next game and lost the fourth game to tie the score at 2-2. Simon broke again
in the eighth game and this time he did not allow his opponent to break back, winning the set 6-3.
The Frenchman carried the winning momentum into the final set and took the lead straightaway, breaking Youzhny in the first and third game and holding his serve in the second and fourth game to race to a 4-0 lead. Simon capitalised
on the double break of serve and served out the set in the seventh game, claiming it 6-1.
The fifth seed said, in the press conference, "It was a very tough match. Mikhail was very good at the beginning, he didn't miss anything and I had to run a lot. I just tried to fight. I did not have the impression that I was playing
too bad when he was leading.”
The French added, "At 3-3 [in the second set], he started to miss a little bit and I was able to play my game. I have a good record in finals and I will try and improve it tomorrow. The match will be interesting."
Simon will play world number 14 Nicolas Almagro of Spain in the final. The third seed beat compatriot Fernando Verdasco, ranked 22nd in the world, in the semi-finals.

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