METZ, September 23, 2018
Gilles Simon has clinched his third title at the Moselle Open in Metz. The 33-year-old Frenchman defeated German qualifier Matthias Bachinger, who appeared in his first ATP World Tour final, 7-6(2), 6-2 on Sunday afternoon.
Simon needed to save three set points in the ninth game of the opening set and was in control towards the end of the encounter. The World No. 39 struck 10 aces and won 61 per cent of the total points played to secure victory in one hour and 19 minutes.
Bachinger stays positive
Matthias Bachinger
“Today I felt a bit tired from the entire week,” Bachinger told Tennis TourTalk after his seventh match of the week. “I had my chances in the first set but couldn’t convert. Gilles played an incredible level of tennis in the second set and I knew that it was going to be tough. He deserved to win.”
The 31-year-old German was trying to become the sixth qualifier to win an ATP World Tour title this season.
“Of course I am disappointed at the moment but there are a lot of positives I can take away from this week. It was an incredible tournament for me. If anyone told me that I will reach the final here, I wouldn’t have believed it. I learned that I can also beat the top guys. This is special,” Bachinger said.
Third title for Simon in Metz
Simon was obviously pleased following his third triumph at the Moselle Open after 2010 and 2013. “The first set was pretty tough. I gained an early break but Matthias became better and better. It was hard to hold him. I put a lot of energy into the game at 4-5 in order to change the momentum. This was the key of the match.
“It’s really nice to win here again. It’s a great tournament. My family attended the final and it’s always nice to come back,” the French veteran stated.
“I had a good run at the French Open and Wimbledon. Then I had a lot of things to do, as I moved my residence back to France. I had to deal with a lot of stuff during summer and I couldn’t really focus on tennis and didn’t play well. But I feel everything is in place now and I just want to play as much as I can. I am not sure, if I play all of the last five tournaments but I entered Tokyo, Shanghai, Antwerp, Basel and Bercy.”
French tandem takes doubles title
Doubles finalists in Metz
Earlier in the day, Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin clinched their fifth team title. The top seeds beat Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski of Great Britain 6-1, 7-5. The doubles final only lasted 58 minutes.
Mahut and Roger-Vasselin won in Metz six years ago as one of their previous four titles together. Mahut clinched his 23rd doubles trophy. Roger-Vasselin claimed his 15th crown. Both now have won four Moselle Open titles.
