Tsonga claims 12th career title with Moselle Open win

The third-seeded Tsonga eventually had too much power for his second-seeded opponent in a rematch of the 2013 final won by Simon.

(Reuters)

"I am very happy, it was a big first set," said Tsonga.

"It's always tricky to play against Gilles, the ball always comes back."

Simon added: "He was more solid than me on the important points, especially in the first set."

Tsonga misfired some 20 forehands in the opening set but he still won the tiebreak 7-5 after saving six break points.

Simon, however, regained control and bagged the first five games of the second set, levelling to one set all when Tsonga netted a forehand.

The former Australian Open runner-up found his range in the decider, breaking for a 3-1 lead before ending the contest when Simon's forehand bounced out following a net cord.

(Reporting by Julien Pretot, editing by Pritha Sarkar)