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Simon to face Baghdatis in final

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MARSEILLE, France -- Unseeded Frenchman Gilles Simon beat Swede Robin Soederling 6-2 7-6 to join Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in the final of the Marseille Open.

Seventh seed Baghdatis reached his second successive ATP final with a 3-6 6-3 6-2 triumph over unseeded Finn Jarkko Nieminen.

The big-serving Soederling, who ousted top seed Nikolay Davydenko in the opening round, could do little to stop Simon after the Frenchman broke serve early in the opening set.

Simon clinched victory over the unseeded Swede after creating four match points in the second-set tiebreak.

"I always like to play against big-serving opponents," Simon told reporters. "I find it easier when I have to control the game from my baseline.

"Nobody expected to see me reach the final. I'm just happy with my game at the moment."

World number 17 Baghdatis, who won the Zagreb title two weeks ago, went through to another final on his second match point against Nieminen.

"This is my first final in France and it's great," he said. "I feel at home here."

Baghdatis, who reached the final of the Australian Open in 2006, was delighted with his form.

"It took me a while to wake up," he said. "I needed a set to get into the rhythm but after that my legs were great and I played top-notch tennis."


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Simon is happy to face big-serving opponents.

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