TENNIS WORLD

Simon Swelters Way Into Indy Final Against Tursunov

Second-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon saved 16 of 19 break points faced against Sam Querrey in Saturday's semifinals to claw his way into the final of the Indianapolis Tennis Championships presented by Lilly. Simon saved all eight break points he faced in a grueling third set to close out the match 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
In the final Simon will play defending champion Dmitry Tursunov, who rallied from a set down to defeat top seed James Blake 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Simon's semifinal victory reached a pivotal stage in the eighth and ninth games of the final set. After failing to convert three break points on Querrey's serve, the Frenchman found himself down 0/40 in the next game. At 30/40 Simon was in big trouble when a Querrey smash had him scurrying deep behind the baseline on the ad court. But Simon responded with a sensational crosscourt backhand pass - hit from above shoulder level - past a disbelieving Querrey at the net.
Simon saved a fourth break point in the game to go ahead 5-4. Querrey, who showed signs of extreme fatigue in the third set - often leaning on his racquet in between points - had nothing left to give in the final game and dropped serve to lose the match.
Simon is chasing his second title of the year, having won the Casablanca title. Simon's two other ATP titles came last year in Marseille and Bucharest.
Tursunov will get the chance to defend the title he won last year after upsetting top-seed Blake. The Russian saved one break point in the final game of the match before clinching victory.
Pete Sampras (1991-92) and Andy Roddick (2003-04) are the only players in the past three decades to successfully defend the Indianapolis title.
Tursunov, 25, was appearing in his first ATP semifinal since January when he captured his fourth career ATP title in Sydney (d. Guccione). Tursunov improves to a 23-14 match record on the season (15-7 on hard). He also is 10-2 lifetime in Indy.
Heading into the semifinal. Blake had won 10 of his past 11 matches in Indianapolis, including his title run two years ago.
The winner of Sunday's final will be the first-week leader of the Olympus US Open Series.