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POERTSCHACH (Austria), May 26: Gael Monfils of France will play Juan Monaco of Argentina in the 350,000-euro ATP tournament final. In Friday’s semi-finals, Monfils upset fourth-seeded Lleyton Hewitt 6-4, 7-5 and Monaco defeated Luis Horna of Peru 6-4, 6-4.Monfils will be aiming for his second title after Sopot, Poland, in 2005 in his fifth career final. While Monaco is also bidding for his second title after winning in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in Feb.
Monfils and Monaco are 1-1. The Argentine won their last meeting in Estoril, Portugal, last month.
One break of the fourth-seeded Australian’s serve was enough for Monfils to take the first set. But the 20-year-old Frenchman, who beat Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals, needed to save three break points.
Hewitt rallied from 4-2 down to lead 5-4 in the second, but missed a set point as Monfils hit an ace.
The 75th-ranked Monfils broke Hewitt again on 5-5 and converted his third match point with an ace.
Hewitt converted only two of his eight break points, but is looking forward to the French Open.
The 47th-ranked Monaco, who beat defending champion Nikolay Davydenko in the quarter-finals, dominated throughout against Horna, converting all four break points.
Monaco broke once early in the first set and again at 4-4 in the second before saving two break points.
Results (x denotes seeding):
Semi-finals: Juan Monaco (ARG) bt Luis Horna (PER) 6-4, 6-4; Gael Monfils (FRA) bt Lleyton Hewitt (AUS x4) 6-4 7-5.
ISTANBUL: Russian top seed Maria Sharapova was dumped out of the 200,000-dollar WTA tournament on Friday by Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai 6-2, 6-4.
So Sharapova, second seed for next week’s French Open, was beaten by the 59th world-ranked player who at 20 has only been on the WTA tour for two years.
Earlier in the tournament Rezai had also beaten American Venus Williams.
Rezai will now meet Russia’s second seed Elena Dementieva, who beat Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, in the final.
Results:Semi-finals: Aravane Rezai (FRA) bt Maria Sharapova (RUS x1) 6-2, 6-4; Elena Dementieva (RUS x2) bt Alona Bondarenko (UKR x5) 7-6 (7/5), 6-2.
STRASBOURG (France): France’s top seed Amelie Mauresmo had to fight to beat compatriot Marion Bartoli 6-3, 6-7 (1/7), 6-3 on Friday to move into the final of the WTA tournament.
Mauresmo will face Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues who earned a walkover against gastro-enteritis victim Jelena Jankovic of Serbia.
Mauresmo said she still had some work to do to fine tune her preparations for next week’s French Open.
“I have to get my act together mentally because I haven’t always been concentrating well this week,” Mauresmo said. “My backhand slice in particular has not been up to par.”
She had an appendix operation in Feb and though she has made progress since, she is unlikely to be in the best of form for Roland Garros.
“I am still looking for more consistency and though things are getting better, I’m still a little behind schedule,” she added.
Results:
Semi-finals: Amelie Mauresmo (FRA x1) bt Marion Bartoli (FRA x5) 6-3, 6-7 (1/7), 6-3; Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP x6) bt Jelena Jankovic (SRB x2) walkover. —Agencies
