Second-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon was
among Friday's quarterfinal winners, while former champion Arnaud Clement
upended top-seeded fellow Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the Lyon Tennis
Grand Prix.
The wild card Clement survived a match point in a third-set tiebreak, as he
outlasted his fellow former Aussie Open runner-up Tsonga 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8)
in 2 hours, 47 minutes. Clement withstood a barrage of 27 aces from the big-
serving Tsonga. There were only two service breaks in the tight affair, one by
each player.
The veteran Clement captured this event nine years ago.
Meanwhile, Simon topped fifth-seeded countryman Julien Benneteau 7-6 (7-5),
6-3 on the indoor carpet at Palais des Sports Lyon Gerland.
Third-seeded Croat Ivan Ljubicic reached the final four with a 7-6 (8-6), 6-2
victory over France's Florent Serra, while Michael Llodra erased fellow
Frenchman Marc Gicquel 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. The veteran Ljubicic, who swatted
16 aces in his win over Serra, captured this event in 2001.
Saturday's semifinals will pit Simon against the wild card Llodra and Ljubicic
versus his fellow former Lyon champion Clement.
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