Lyon (France), Oct 12: Top seed Rainer Schuettler of Germany reached the final of the us$800,000 Lyon Open, beating friend and doubles partner Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, 6-3 3-6 7-5 in just over two hours.
He will meet France's Arnaud Clement in today's final. Clement breezed to a 69-minute, 6-2 6-3 win over Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan, the third seed. Both finalists are on course for back-to-back titles and boast nine-match winning streaks.
Schuettler, 27, won in Tokyo last week for his third career title, while 25-year-old Clement grabbed his second by clinching the Open de Moselle in Metz, France.
Schuettler, hampered by ankle trouble, came back from 0-3 down in the third set to beat Davis Cup champion Youzhny.
"To be honest, I thought, 'it's over'," Schuettler said, reflecting on his comeback. The German hung in grimly while Youzhny seemed betrayed by nerves, dropping five consecutive service games with the winning post in sight.



"Once you get one break (of serve) back you start to fight and hope," Schuettler said. A dispirited Youzhny gifted the final two points with sloppy forehand errors.



Schuettler felt hindered by his ankle problem – twice receiving treatment for it during the match - but feels confident it will not prevent him from tackling clement at full-strength.


Bureau Report