TENNIS ATP METZ – David Goffin and Joao Sousa will meet for the second time in just one month in tomorrow’s final at the Moselle Open final in Metz, a ATP 250 Tournament. Goffin, who knocked out Jo Wilfred Tsonga in the quarter finals, beat Jan Lennard Struff from Germany with 7-6 6-3 in one hour and 32 minutes. Sousa upset US Open quarter finalist Gael Monfils with 7-6 6-2 in one hour and 28 minutes. Diego Sampaolo
Goffin, winner in Kitzbuhel last July and in three ATP Challenger Tournaments and quarter finalist in Winston Salem, is in the for of his life and confirmed his recent good shape with another convincing win which followed his two win in the singles matches at last week’s Davis Cup Play Off match against the Ukraine.
Goffin wasted a break lead when he served for the first set at 5-4. Then he saved a set point at 5-6 and forced the first set to the tie-break. Goffin got the mini-break at 4-4 in the tie-break and held the next two serves to clinch the win with 7-4.
In the opening game of the second set Struff did not convert a break point. The second set went on serve until the fifth game when Goffin got the break to 15
Goffin fended off three break points in the second set before converting his only break point chance to clinch the win. He hit 14 aces and saved five of the six break point chances he faced.
Goffin, now ranked World Number 45, will reach the World Number 36 spot in the ranking next week and could move up to Number 32 if he wins the final.
Goffin, who started the year at World Number 110, has won 32 of his last 35 matches
Gael Monfils got a break lead in the first set but Sousa recovered from a 4-2 deficit in the second semifinal against Monfils but he clawed his way into the match and fended off eight of the nine break point chances he faced. Monfils saved a set point in the tie-break when Sousa was leading 6-5.
Monfils suffered from knee injury in the second set and went down 0-4 after he did not convert two break points in the second game. Sousa served for the match at 5-2 but he had to save two break point chances before closing out the second set on the second match point.
Sousa saved nine of the ten break point chances he faced to take a re-match against the Frenchman who beat him earlier this year in Montpellier.
In tomorrow’s final Goffin will renew his rivalry against Sousa. Last month the Belgian player dropped just six games for a 6-4 6-2 6-0 win in the second of the US Open.
Sousa will be bidding his second ATP title twelve months after winning over Julien Benneteau in Kuala Lumpur. Earlier this year the Portuguese player lost to Pablo Cuevas in Bastad
It will be the first time since 2007 that there will not be French players in the Metz final.
Monfils, who led by two sets to love and held two match points against his serve in the fourth set before losing in the fifth set against Roger Federer in the quarter final of the US Open, could be sidelined by a knee injury for six weeks and faces the risk to miss the Davis Cup final against Switzerland (21-23 November)
