Jo-Wiilfried Tsonga edged past Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-2 3-6 6-1 to qualify for his third final of the season after winning two titles in Marseille and Rotterdam. Tsonga fired 14 aces and saved eight of the ten break points he faced.
Tsonga, who is making his come-back after a right shoulder injury sidelined him from Madrid and Rome, had to save six break points in his first two service games. Basilashvili went down 0-40 on his serve at 2-3. He saved three break points but made a double fault to drop his serve at deuce. Tsonga saved a break point in the seventh game before sealing the first set with a break to 15.
Tsonga made three consecutive break points to face the eighth break point in the first game of the second set. After failing to convert two break points in the fourth game Tsonga dropped his serve twice in the fifth and ninth games. Tsonga bounced back from losing the second set by breaking serve on his third opportunity in the first game of the decider. The French player broke twice more to wrap up the third set 6-1.
Tsonga got the break in the first game of the third set and never looked back to ease past to a comfortable 6-1 win after 1 hour and 47 minutes.
Tsonga will take on Tomas Berdych, who battled past Milos Raonic after two tie-breaks 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-2). Berdych broke serve once and fended off three of the four break points he faced.
The Czech player fended off a set point and came back from 0-2 down by winning seven of the next nine points to win the tie-break by 7-4. Raonic bounced back by breaking serve in the third game of the second set but Berdych broke back in the sixth game. Raonic saved a break point at 3-4 and held his service game at deuce. The second set came down to another tie-break. Berdych earned two mini-breaks to open up a 4-0 lead. Raonic got one break back but Berdych closed out the second tie-break after 1 hour and 52 minutes. Berdych hit nine aces to reach his first final on the ATP Tour since last October when he beat Richard Gasquet in the Schenzhen final.
Tsonga beat Berdych in their most recent head-to-head match in the Rotterdam semifinal en route to winning his second title of the season last February.
