Monfils, Montanes advance to Nice Open final

(AP) NICE, France - France’s Gael Monfils beat Spain’s Pablo Andujar 7-5, 6-4 in the Nice Open on Friday to advance to the final.

Monfils will face Spain’s Albert Montanes, a 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 winner over French wild-card entry Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the first semifinal in the clay-court, warm-up tournament for the French Open.

A former top 10 player, Monfils was hampered last year by a right knee injury and has dropped to 109th in the rankings.

Monfils hit 17 winners to eight for Andujar to take the first set, when the Spaniard netted a backhand volley. The Frenchman then rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the second.

The French Open starts Sunday.