Mikhail Youzhny of Russia Keeps His Momentum Going As He Stunned Former Number One Australian Lleyton Hewitt - - Will Face Tsonga In Final

Tokyo - Mikhail Youzhny of Russia edged past former world number one Lleyton Hewitt of Australia on Saturday to set up a final against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Japan Open tennis tournament.

The unseeded Russian, who shocked defending champion Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals on Friday, kept his momentum going to score a 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 victory over the Australian eighth seed.

Unseeded Youzhny had 10 aces on his way to a 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 over Lleyton Hewitt in Saturday's other semifinal.

"That's the best tennis I've played for a long, long time," Youzhny said. "There were good games before, but just one game. Here, all my games have been at a high level."

Youzhny broke Hewitt in the final game when the eighth-seeded Australian hit two successive backhands into the net.

It was Youzhny's first win over Hewitt in four matches.

"I didn't have a chance to break him until the final game," Youzhny said. "He was at 40-15 and I was able to put some good points together."

Sunday's final will be Youzhny's second of the year. He reached the final of the BMW Open in Munich in May, losing to Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic. The Russian's last singles title came at Chennai, India at the start of 2008.

Top-ranked Roger Federer pulled out of the US$1.2 million event, citing fatigue, along with third-ranked Andy Murray of Britain, who withdrew because of a wrist injury.

The 2008 Australian Open finalist Tsonga, the second seed from France, beat compatriot Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-3 in the second semifinal.

"Here I played four matches at the same level, I can say, at a high level," said Youzhny, who also eliminated third-seeded Gilles Simon of France in the second round.

"When you are in the final, you always want to win, you don't think about it's the first final of the year or the second.

"For me, it's more important to play a good game, not only one match, not only one set, but the whole matches. I just want to continue and play the same tennis in the final," he added.

After breaking Hewitt twice to take the first set with ease, Youzhny found further break opportunities hard to come by.

He hit two double faults to put Hewitt 15-40 up in the 11th game of the second set, which he eventually lost with a backhand error to tie the match at one-set all.

The final set again went with serve, with Youzhny saving one break point in the fifth game, but the Russian took an advantage point in the 12th on Hewitt's serve -- his first match point.

The tough two-hour-39-minute battle ended abruptly when Hewitt hit a backhand shot into the net.

"In the first set I was able to play really well. I think he was a little bit slow, and I was slow in the next two sets. But from my side, I didn't make many mistakes," said Youzhny.

"The second set was close, and I had no chances. The final set was also very close and I didn't have any chances to break him. Only in the last game, I took three good points."