A lot changes in a year of tennis, new stars arrive as elders fall. Something that hasn't changed this year is Richard Gasquet's success at his local tournament. Born in Beziers, a mere hour away from Montpellier, this is as close to a home tournament as it can possibly get. He today beat the big-serving Pole, Jerzy Janowicz in straight sets. Janowicz put up a great fight, losing a pair of tiebreakers, 7-6, 7-6.
After his win, the closest a straight sets win can be, Gasquet said: "I was having trouble returning but I managed to beat him and I'm very happy to be playing Gael in the final." He also recalled that when on Davis Cup duty the pair said they'd meet in the final. And so they will.
Duracell Bunny-like Monfils, saw off 6th seed Jarkko Nieminen. A seemingly comfortable victory was on the cards after a straightforward 1st set, Monfils was broken in the 2nd set and went on to lose it 3-6, but there was to be no Finnish comeback as Monfils broke twice in the decider.
Leading up to the all-French finale, Monfils leads 5-4 in the head to head, the most recent victory at this year's Qatar Open. Can Monfils win a 1st title since 2011 or will Gasquet reclaim his crown?