METZ, France, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Gilles Simon defeated two-time defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets Sunday and won the championship of the ATP's Moselle Open in France.
Simon converted four of his five break opportunities to claim a 6-4, 6-3 decision over Tsonga. Tsonga had won the tournament each of the past two years.
Simon kept ahead of Tsonga by winning two-thirds of the points on serve and saving four of the five break points he faced. He lost just six points while serving in the second set.
It was the 11th ATP title for Simon, whose last win had been in April 2012. He had two second-place finishes this year and is 11-4 all-time in tournament title matches. Tsonga slips to 10-8 in finals. He was trying to add a third Moselle title to his win in Marseille earlier this year.
The first-place check was worth $100,000 to Simon, who has won more than $7.6 million in his career. Tsonga claimed $52,700 as the runner-up, giving him a career total of more than $12.1 million.
