METZ, September 21, 2019

Aljaz Bedene and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will meet in Sunday’s singles final of the Moselle Open. Tsonga moved into his fifth championship match in Metz with a 7-6(6), 7-6(4) win over fellow Frenchman and No. 4 seed Lucas Pouille.

On track for a fourth #MoselleOpen title… @tsonga7 defeats compatriot Pouille 7-6(6) 7-6(4) in Metz 🙌 pic.twitter.com/RgPhS3Drh3

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 21, 2019

Tsonga outpointed his opponent 80-68 to prevail after one hour and 50 minutes. “I am extremely happy with the way I played,” said Tsonga, as quoted on the ATP Tour website. “I was very solid. I served very well, especially on the key points. The match was played over a few points and I was extremely solid.”

Earlier on Saturday, Bedene knocked off No. 3 seed Benoit Paire of France, winning 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 to reach his fourth career ATP Tour singles final. The World No. 76 from Slovenia has been in superb form since lifting the trophy of the Slovenia Open in Portoroz last month. Bedene advanced to the third round of the US Open and celebrated a 3-1 Davis Cup tie win with Slovenia in Egypt. The 30-year-old Ljubljana native is bidding for this first title on the ATP Tour.

“I know Aljaz has improved a lot since we last played,” said Tsonga, who won the only previous meeting between the two at the 2013 French Open. “He is playing very confidently now. He has been playing amazing all week, serving really well. I am looking forward to a big battle, a difficult match, but I am going to do everything to try and lift the trophy for a fourth time.”

Three-time Metz champion Tsonga is seeking his 18th career title. If he emerges victorious on Sunday, the 34-year-old from Le Mans will become the ninth French winner in the past 11 editions of the ATP 250 tournament.