Metz - Second-seeded Gilles Simon was invincible on serve as he beat French countryman Nicolas Mahut 6-3, 7-6 (2) on Saturday to reach the Open de Moselle final and stay on course for his first title of the year.
For the second consecutive match Simon did not face a single break point.
In the final Simon plays either two-time defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France or eighth-seeded Florian Mayer of Germany, who meet later on Saturday.
This is Tsonga's first tournament since a knee injury forced him to drop out of his second-round match at Wimbledon
Simon, who lost the Eastbourne final in June, broke Mahut in the fifth game and took the first set against serve when Mahut planted a weak shot into the net.