Youzhny Saves 2 MPs For Semi-Final Berth Against Simon; Top Seed Monfils Beaten

© Bongarts/Getty ImagesMikhail Youzhny has an 18-14 match record on the season.

Fourth-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny won a nail-biting encounter against No. 12 seed Marin Cilic of Croatia on Friday, when he saved two match points at 4-6 in the third-set tie-break to win 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(6) in three hours for a place in the semi-finals at the bet-at-home Open - German Tennis Championships 2011.

Youzhny led 3-1 in the third set, but was pegged back by Cilic, who was appearing in his seventh ATP World Tour quarter-final of the year. The Russian moved into a 4-1 lead in the tie-break, but again Cilic fought back to win five straight points. Cilic served for the match at 6-5, but Youzhny responded to record his 18th win in 32 matches this season.

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"It was very tough and a long match," said Youzhny. "At match point, I was more lucky in the tie-break with the net ball. Today, I was lucky.

"In the first set, he played better than me. He played very good [and made] no mistakes. [On his match point] I just tried to play like I played before. The final set was a lot of break points and some breaks."

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Youzhny, who is now 5-1 versus Cilic, converted three of nine break point opportunities. Cilic struck seven aces. Both players won 60 per cent of their service points. The 22-year-old Cilic was attempting to become the first Croat to reach the Hamburg semi-finals since Mario Ancic in 2006.

Youzhny has a 7-1 record against his semi-final opponent, Gilles Simon.

Fifth seed Simon beat top seed Gael Monfils 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 in two hours and five minutes. It was the first time since 1990 that two Frenchmen reached the Hamburg quarter-finals (Guy Forget, Henri Leconte).

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"I think [tomorrow's match is] going to be hard," said Simon. "I [have] defeated him only once and I lost seven times.

"But what is good is that I won the last match against him in Dubai [the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships] this year. It will help me tomorrow with the confidence on the court also. I hope I will be able to play the same way I played the third set today."

The 26-year-old Simon is through to his first ATP World Tour semi-final since capturing the eighth title of his career at the Medibank International Sydney. He has a 28-17 match record on the season.