MARSEILLE, France -- Robin Soderling was a semifinal winner Saturday at the $785,000 Open 13 tennis event and will face Marin Cilic in the final.
The top-seeded Soderling needed just 75 minutes to dispatch Russian veteran Dmitry Tursunov on the indoor surface at Palais des Sports. The Swede swatted 11 aces and never faced a break point in his 7-5, 6-1 triumph.
Cilic rallied past third-seeded Mikhail Youzhny of Russia, 6-2, 1-6, 7-5. The Croat, who came in 0-4 against Youzhny, breezed through the first set, never had a break opportunity in the second, then solved the Russian's serve twice late in the third to come away victorious.
The reigning two-time French Open runner-up Soderling titled in Rotterdam for a second straight year last week and won the only other meeting against Cilic, defeating him in straight sets at the 2010 French Open.
Sunday's winner will pocket $125,000.
