Simon, so good! – Sports.fr

Gilles Simon will play the final Sunday of the Masters 1000 Shanghai. The French proved imperial in the semis against Feliciano Lopez, overwriting the first set before tighten up the tie-break in the second (6-2, 7-6).

If Arnaud Clement did not tickle the ears, it must begin … They may be in turmoil Sunday as Gilles Simon will face either Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer in the final of the Masters 1000 Shanghai. The French was impeccable control, management of their game when it matters, offering Feliciano Lopez unopposed in straight sets: 6-2, 7-6. As the score indicates quite clearly, both sets were different to handle for the Frenchman.

First, it was a recital for the former member of the world top 10, which has sickened Spanish by the accuracy of his shots and calm. Two breaks in his favor at 1-1 and 3-1, that’s it for the first round … His opponent, who has yet to reach a final in a tournament like this, then regained momentum later , returning to his natural game fly – especially behind the service – after being constantly punishing groundstrokes in the first set. In the end, Lopez earned 25 points out of 44 at the net, against seven out of eight Simon

The extreme strength of the French can be summarized in a statistic, as simple as snapping. Lopez did everything simply not provided any break point in this match. Its effectiveness in the service was the key: 94% of points behind his first serve won 71% behind his second against only 29% for Lopez … He has not panicked before reaching the tiebreak, where he sends a back demoralizing blocked at the first point on the involvement of his vis-à-vis. A tie-break, which is akin to a formality, won 7-1. Simon has put together his case in 1:20 ‘, a luxury that will probably not be too much while Djokovic and Federer may well s’étriper for hours and leave some feathers …

Alumnus Thierry Tulasne has already played a final Masters 1000: it was in 2008 in Madrid, before the tournament was relocated to Shanghai. He was then defeated by Andy Murray. “I feel my tennis came back for two months , he analyzed after win over Tomas Berdych, in a press conference. I found my rhythm, I feel . stronger physically “ Officially back in the top 20, it displays a rare global record for a French final: 11 wins out of 15 accessions to the last step of a tournament. To think, even though 16 is not the easiest of his career.