Anderson to meet Simon in Maharashtra Open finals

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], Jan 6: South African tennis ace Kevin Anderson will face off against Frenchman Gilles Simon in title clash of the Maharashtra Open, here on Saturday.

World no. 14 Kevin Anderson advanced to the finals of the tournament after he defeated France's Benoit Paire in the second semifinal of the tournament held at the Mhalunge Balewadi Stadium.

The South-Africans defeated Benoit Paire in three sets 6-7, 7-6, 6-1.

Earlier in the day, Gilles Simon had sprung a surprise in the first singles' semifinal as he came back from a set down to defeat the top-seed and world no. six Marin Cilic in three sets 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.

The second semifinal was a well-matched contest as both the players were equally potent with their skills. Anderson was serving well as he hit 10 aces inside the first set, while Paire was equally good with his service points, winning 20 out of 26 off his first serve. However, in the tie-break of the first set, it was Paire who kept his nerve to take it at 7-6

However, Anderson came out on top in the second attempt to ensure the match went into the deciding set.

In the third set, he took a well-deserved 3-0 lead.

The 2017 US Open finalist hit seven aces in the final set to win 6-1 and book his place in the final.

Earlier in the day, the 2009 and 2010 champion Cilic had lost to Frenchman Gilles Simon in the first semifinal.

It looked like the 29-year-old Croat would run away with the game in the second set as well but it wasn't to happen, as Simon looked lively, answering the crowd's encouragement by displaying some amazing returns to make a comeback into the match.

14th-ranked Kevin Anderson play world no. 89 Simon in the final match of the Maharashtra Open on Saturday.(ANI)