METZ, France (AP) — Sixth-seeded Joao Sousa of Portugal rallied to win 7-6 (6), 6-2 against second-seeded Gael Monfils and reach the Moselle Open final, where he faces eighth-seeded David Goffin of Belgium.
Goffin, who eliminated top-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarters, beat Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany 7-6 (4), 6-3 in the other semifinal on Saturday.
Sousa trailed 4-2 against Monfils, who blew two match points before losing to Roger Federer in the U.S. Open quarterfinals this month, but clawed his way back into the match and saved eight of the nine break points he faced. Monfils, the 2009 champion, had 13 aces but quickly fell 3-0 down in the second set.
Both finalists will go for their second career titles on Sunday, and play each other for the second time. Goffin dropped only six games when he beat Sousa in the second round of the U.S. Open three weeks ago.
Sousa, ranked 39th, won on indoor hard courts at Kuala Lumpur last year, while 45th-ranked Goffin’s only title was on outdoor clay in Kitzbuehel, Austria, in August.
In a match for servers, Goffin edged Struff 14-12 in aces and won 85 percent of his first-serve points. After trading breaks in the first set, Goffin saved three break points on his serve in the second set and took his only opportunity on Struff’s serve.
The 61st-ranked Struff has lost his three semifinals this season.
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