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METZ, France (AP) — Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat fellow Frenchman Gilles Simon 7-6 (5), 1-6, 6-2 to win the Open de Moselle tournament for a record third time on Sunday.
Tsonga took 2 hours, 17 minutes to defeat Simon in a reversal of the result of the 2013 final. It was a 12th career title for Tsonga, who moved level with Simon and Richard Gasquet as the most titled Frenchmen in singles among current players.
Both men were seeking a third Moselle title. Simon won in the northeastern city in 2010 and 2013, with Tsonga winning in 2011 and 2012.
Simon saved one match point on his serve but handed Tsonga the break and the match moments later with another unforced error, hitting a forehand volley off the top of the net and wide.
Tsonga hit 16 aces, including one at 222 kph (138 mph), to move 5-2 up in the final set.
The first set went with serve although Tsonga had to save six break points in his first two service games. Simon went 5-2 up in the tiebreaker but Tsonga fought back, winning the next five points to take the opening set.
Simon swiftly leveled the match after storming to a 5-0 lead in the second and then serving out the set at love.
"I don't think I relaxed in the second set. I think that above all it was Gilles who pushed me into making errors," said Tsonga, who made over 40 errors in the opening two sets.
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