Bangkok, Thailand – Frenchmen Gilles Simon and Richard Gasquet were semifinal winners Saturday at the $551,000 Thailand Open tennis event.
Simon, the 2009 Bangkok champion, reached his second final of the year and 13th of his career with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over top seed Janko Tipsarevic. The fourth-seeded Simon improved to 5-1 lifetime against the Serbian, including 4-0 on hardcourts.
The 27-year-old Simon captured his 10th career title in Bucharest in late April.
Gasquet, meanwhile, came within two points of losing to seventh-seeded Finn Jarkko Nieminen in straight sets, but the second seed recovered to beat the 2010 Bangkok runner-up 3-6, 7-5, 6-2.
A two-time finalist this year, Gasquet will be vying for his seventh career title. He is 6-10 overall in finals and heads into Sunday's match with a significant edge, having won all five previous ATP Tour-level meetings against his countryman.
The 2012 winner of this tournament will collect $99,465.
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