Black Tennis Pros

METZ, France, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Top seed Gael Monfils downed Richard Gasquet 6-4 6-3 in an all-French semi-final at the Metz ATP tournament on Saturday to set up a final with Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber.

Gasquet, fighting to recapture his best form after a 2-1/2-month suspension following a positive test for cocaine, stayed in contention until he dropped serve with a double fault in the ninth game.

Monfils then took control, relying on booming serves and getting another break early in the second set.

In Sunday's final, the Frenchman will meet Kohlschreiber, seeded second, who beat France's Paul-Henri Mathieu 7-6 6-4. Their semi-final was tighter with the German showing more composure when it mattered.

Monfils, who leads 1-0 against Kohlschreiber, has been chasing a title since his maiden win in 2005 in Sopot, Poland. He has lost six finals since.

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who defeated Russian Dmitry Tursunov 7-6(6), 6-2 in one hour and 29 minutes, will face World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in the ABN AMRO quarterfinals in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Nadal has a 2-1 record against Tsonga, and prevailed in a 7-5 third set in their last meeting in March at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tennis tournament in Indian Wells.

Tsonga has now reached the quarter-finals in all five of his ATP-level appearances this season, and has a 14-2 record. The World No. 13 won his third ATP World Tour title last week in Johannesburg (defeating Chardy).

He will face fellow Frenchman Julien Benneteau. In another all-French match, Marc Gicquel defeated Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-3.

"It's interesting that French players have done so well in Rotterdam in recent years," Monfils said. "We like it here."

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Photo by AP