Tsonga beats Kyrgios to reach Open 13 final in Marseille

Second-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated defending champion Nick Kyrgios Saturday at the Open 13.

MARSEILLE, France (AP) Second-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated defending champion Nick Kyrgios 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-4 Saturday at the Open 13, guaranteeing an all-French final at the indoor tournament.

The first ever matchup between the pair was a hard-fought contest as Tsonga weathered 16 aces from the third-seeded Australian and broke early in the decider to prevail.

Tsonga, who won his 13th career title in Rotterdam last week, is bidding to add a third Marseille trophy after victories in 2009 and 2013.

The other semifinal sees an all-French match between Lucas Pouille and Richard Gasquet.