France's Michael Llodra beat Ivo Karlovic 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) on Saturday to move into the final of the Rotterdam Open even though the Croatian aced him 16 times. Countryman Gilles Simon was later hoping to make Sunday's title match an all-French affair as he faced Swede Robin Soderling in a second semi-final at the Ahoy stadium.
Llodra, ranked 58th in singles but a doubles standout with a Wimbledon title from last summer and the Australian Open final this season, will be competing for his second title of 2008. The 27-year-old won Adelaide during the first week of the year over Finn Jarkko Nieminen.
Karlovic and Llodra each lost serve only once in their tight match which lasted just under 90 minutes. The indoor event was stripped of seeds by the second round, the first time that had happened in two years on the ATP. But Llodra, who gave himself few chances in a field including Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Lleyton Hewitt, was pleased with his week's work. "When I saw the draw, I thought I'd be lucky to win to matches. Now I'm into the final," he said.
Frenchmen also won the title uninterruptedly from 2000 to 2002, with Cedric Pioline setting the pace for a double by Nicolas Escude. "I'd love to the third Frenchman, now it's one more match for me," said Llodra.
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