Simon beats Verdasco to reach Valencia Open final

VALENCIA, Spain, Apr 15 (Reuters) Gilles Simon reached the final of the Valencia Open claycourt tournament today with a 6-2 7-6 victory over seventh seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.

The Frenchman, who has yet to win an ATP title, will face the winner of the second semi-final between wildcard Marat Safin and in-form Spaniard Nicolas Almagro in tomorrow's final.

Safin reached his first semi-final of the season with a straight sets victory over former French Open champion Gaston Gaudio yesterday.

REUTERS DH PM1937