Simon knocked out on home turf; Ljubicic, Llodra in Lyon final
Lyon, France (Sports Network) - Michael Llodra, the unsung member of Saturday's semifinal action, rose to the occasion and bested second-seeded Gilles Simon in a lengthy three-set match at the Lyon Tennis Grand Prix.
Llodra rallied to force a tiebreak in the third set, then owned nearly every point to down Simon, 6-7 (7-4), 6-3, 7-6 (7-1). The wild card used a powerful forehand to oust the Frenchman for the fourth time in as many tries in his career.
He will meet third-seeded Ivan Ljubicic in the final after the Croat downed former Lyon champion Arnaud Clement, 6-2, 6-4.
The wild card Clement was riding high after a marathon three-set victory over top-seeded Frenchman Jo- Wilfried Tsonga.
Sunday's winner will receive $152,000.
10/31 12:56:20 ET
