Top two seeds advance to Metz final

METZ, France, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Gael Monfils and Philipp Kohlschreiber, the top two seeds, won their semifinal matches Saturday at the Open de Moselle tennis tournament at Metz, France.

Monfils, the No. 1 seed, beat fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-3, giving France a French finalist for the second time in the last four years.

"I am very happy to be in the final," he told reporters. "I will take this match (against Kohlschreiber) differently from what I usually do because it is a final and I will give everything to try to win it. I know Kohlschreiber is a very solid player so I will need to give everything."

Kohlschreiber, a native of Augsburg, Germany, was a 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 victor another Frenchman, third-seeded Paul-Henri Mathieu, last year's Metz runner-up.

Monfils won his only other meeting with Kohlschreiber at the Bank of Austria Classic last season.