Black Tennis Pros

Philipp Kohlschreiber

Unseeded German Philipp Kohlschreiber upset third-seeded Gael Monfils of France in straight sets Saturday to reach the final of the Gerry Weber Open.

The 49th-ranked Kohlschreiber returned to the Halle final for the first time since losing to Roger Federer in 2008 by cruising past Monfils 6-3, 6-3 in 1 hour, 17 minutes.

Monfils, ranked a career-high No. 8 coming into the tournament, had not dropped a single set at the Wimbledon warmup event before running into Kohlschreiber.

In Sunday's final, Kohlschreiber will take on 2007 Gerry Weber champion Tomas Berdych or fellow unseeded German Philipp Petzschner, who were playing later Saturday.

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In a very impressive display, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga showcased his serving and shot-making ability against opponent Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany at the Sony Ericsson Open on Sunday.

After a seriously lackluster performance in the first set, Kohlschreiber made it a more competitive match in the second set; though nothing he did could bring a halt to the barrage of aces and powerful shots from Tsonga.

Tsonga inevitably won the match 6-2, 7-5.

Next up for the Frenchman in fourth round action on Tuesday is Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero.

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TOULON, France — Jo Wilfried Tsonga’s unbeaten run in the Davis Cup ended Sunday when the Frenchman was forced to retire with a sprained ankle against Simon Greul of Germany.

France had already qualified for the quarterfinals after Michael Llodra and Julien Benneteau defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber and Christopher Kas on Saturday for an insurmountable 3-0 lead.

Tsonga retired while trailing 4-6, 6-2, 1-0. The former Australian Open runner-up is expected to play the BNP Paribas Open starting next week at Indian Wells, California.

"I preferred to stop because it hurt me when I walked," Tsonga said. "It should take a few days before returning to normal. I will undergo scans tomorrow morning."

Julien Benneteau, who was named as a replacement for Gael Monfils, then gave his country a 4-1 victory with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Benjamin Becker in the last meaningless singles match. Benneteau won 83 percent of the points played on his first serve and broke his opponent four times.

On Friday, Gael Monfils and Tsonga won the opening singles against Kohlschreiber and Benjamin Becker respectively.

France will play Spain at home in the quarterfinals July 9-11. France’s last victory over Spain dates back to 1923.

"We won’t be favorites," Tsonga said. "They are the best and it’s a good moment to write history."

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METZ, France (AP)Gael Monfils ended a four-year title drought with a 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-2 victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in the Open de Moselle final on Sunday.

Monfils served 14 aces and broke the 23rd-ranked Kohlschreiber twice in the third set before closing out the match. The Frenchman had won their previous encounter last year in Vienna Monfils, who reached the fourth round at this year’s U.S. Open, won his second career ATP title following his victory in Sopot, Poland, in 2005.

Kohlschreiber saved three set points in the first set to force a tiebreaker that Monfils concluded at the net with a drop shot.

Kohlschreiber broke Monfils in the sixth game of the second set and leveled with an ace. But the Frenchman finally broke his opponent’s serve twice to improve to 2-6 in ATP finals.

“For a long time people spoke about my lost finals,” Monfils said. “But now the curse is over. I’m happy with this victory. I managed to win, and on top of that it was in France.”

The 13th-ranked Monfils added that he wouldn’t be satisfied “until I win the French Open, which is my ultimate goal.”

The last Frenchman to win the French Open was Yannick Noah, in 1983.

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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.

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METZ, France (AP)—Top-seeded Gael Monfils reached the Open de Moselle semifinals when Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia injured his right ankle and retired on Friday.

Next up will be fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet, who rallied to beat fourth-seeded Philipp Petzschner of Germany 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-3.

Petzschner served 16 aces but Gasquet managed to break him five times.

Monfils and Gasquet, both 23 and based in Switzerland, will meet in Metz for a third time. Both beat the other at the quarterfinal stage en route to reaching the final, Gasquet in 2004 and Monfils in 2005. Gasquet leads 2-1 overall.

Paul-Henri Mathieu was the third Frenchman to advance, reaching the semifinals for a second consecutive year with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win over seventh-seeded Andreas Beck of Germany.

The third-seeded Mathieu hit 18 aces and converted three break points.

Mathieu is looking to reach his second final of the year after losing to Nikolay Davydenko in Hamburg. He will next play second-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany, who beat Evgeny Korolev of Russia 6-1, 6-3.

Kohlschreiber broke Korolev four times and lost only seven points on his serve to oust the Russian in less than an hour.

Mathieu won his only previous meeting with Kohlschreiber, on clay in Gstaad six years ago.

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