Tokyo - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga staged his second comeback effort in as many days Friday, getting past on-form Latvian Ernests Gulbis 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to book into the semi-finals of the Japan Open. Tsonga also recovered from a set down in his second-round match over another friend, Richard Gasquet, 24 hours earlier.
The second-seeded Tsonga, playing for the second of three weeks in Asia after reaching the Bangkok semis a week ago, will await a winner as fourth-seeded compatriot Gael Monfils faces Swiss seventh seed Stan Wawrinka.
Frenchman Tsonga, who lives over the border in Switzerland, is of mixed minds regarding the upcoming clash. "Both are good players and both are friends," he said. "It will be a tough match either way."
The 2008 Australian Open finalist set up match points against Gulbis with his 19th ace before bringing home the winner.
"I was serving well, but you also need some luck sometimes to win," said Tsonga, holder of two titles this season. "I had to stay focused on my game.
"In the first two sets he barely gave me a chance. But when I got a break late in the second set, things changed a bit.
"I think he got a bit nervous and I was able to take advantage, it was perfect timing for me." The loss denied Gulbis the chance at his second career semi-final after his first in 2006.
Former champion Lleyton Hewitt moved into his third career semi-final in Tokyo, ending the dream run of underdog Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-4, 6-0.
Eighth-seed Hewitt is back into the last four at the Ariake colosseum for the first time since 2004, a showing which followed his 2001 title at the event.
The 189th-ranked Roger-Vasselin was brought back to earth by the two-time Grand Slam winner from Australia after the 25-year-old French player produced the shock of the week with his first-round elimination of US Open winner Juan Del Potro.
Hewitt is to play his third semi-final of 2009 after Houston - where he won - and Memphis, where he lost to Andy Roddick.
"It's great to get a convincing win in the quarter-final stage, those matches are never easy," said Hewitt, 33-18 on the season, "I'm happy to be back in the semis here in Japan again."
Hewitt broke five times in the 67-minute demolition, losing his own serve once against a player he had never faced.
He is to battle for a place in the Sunday final when he takes on Mikhail Youzhny, who defeated Czech fifth seed Tomas Berdych 6-2, 7-6 (8-6).
