Gilles Simon and Paul-Henri Mathieu were expected, but it was ultimately Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Gaël Monfils who reached the final four of the Nice Côte d’Azur Open tennis tournament. The former defeated American Sam Querrey (3/6 7/6(2) 6/1) and the latter easily overcame Robin Haase (6/2 6/3).
Edouard Roger-Vasselin will thus open the proceedings at 2:30 PM on the central court of Nice LTC, facing the tough Spaniard Montanes, who yesterday eliminated Nice-born Gilles Simon in the quarter-final (6/4 7/5). The Frenchman has beaten the Spaniard this year in the third round of the Casablanca tournament (3/6 6/4 6/4) and has been in sparkling form since the start of the tournament, having defeated the Lithuanian Berankis (2/6 6/4 6/2) and Colombian Alejandro Falla (7/5 Ab.) before triumphing yesterday in the quarter-final against Sam Querrey. Let’s hope the three-set matches won’t weigh too heavily on the Frenchman’s legs.
In the other semi-final, a well-performing Gaël Monfils will face Spanish Pablo Andujar for a spot in the final’s sunshine. Nimble and precise yesterday on the central court, the Frenchman demonstrated great rigor to overcome Dutchman Robin Haase (6/2 6/3) after having previously ousted Italian Fognini (6/2 7/6(5)) and Colombian Giraldo (4/6 6/3 6/3). But caution towards Spaniard Andujar is warranted, as he was the conqueror of Gilles Simon in the quarter-final (6/4 7/5) and will also aim to inscribe his name among the champions of the Nice Open. The two players have already met twice, and Gaël Monfils leads with 2 victories to none (Stuttgart in 2010: 6/4 5/7 6/4 and Valencia in 2011: 6/2 7/6).
Thus, two Franco-Spanish duels will be played today on the clay of the central Nice court where we sincerely hope to witness, this Saturday, an all-French final just hours before the start of the 2013 edition of Roland Garros.
Response this afternoon from 2:30 PM on the Nice Côte d’Azur Sports Portal!
PROGRAM FOR FRIDAY, MAY 24
CENTRAL COURT from 2:30 PM
A Montanes (ESP) vs [WC] E Roger-Vasselin (FRA)
[WC] G Monfils (FRA) vs P Andujar (ESP)
N Mahut (FRA) / E Roger-Vasselin (FRA) vs J Cabal (COL) / R Farah (COL)
MEN’S SINGLES – Quarter-final
P Andujar (ESP) d [2] G Simon (FRA) 6/4 7/5
[WC] E Roger-Vasselin (FRA) d [3] S Querrey (USA) 3/6 7/6(2) 6/1
A Montanes (ESP) d P Mathieu (FRA) 6/4 6/1
[WC] G Monfils (FRA) d R Haase (NED) 6/2 6/3
MEN’S DOUBLES – Semi-final
J Brunstrom (SWE) / R Klaasen (RSA) d M Elgin (RUS) / D Istomin (UZB) 6/2 3/6 10/8
