French pair Gael Monfils and Gilles Simon will contest the Open 13 final following semi-final victories at the ATP 250 event on Saturday. 

While Monfils moved past fourth-seed Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4 6-2 relatively comfortably, Simon was made to work harder by Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky before progressing 3-6 6-3 6-2.

Sunday's final will see the compatriots meet for the sixth time, with Simon boasting four victories over the world number 21 to date.

In the first semi, Monfils eased past Bautista Agut, as the wildcard seventh seed hit nine aces in his 64-minute encounter.

Monfils has now won all three of his meetings with the Spaniard, including two this year, and, despite throwing away a 3-1 lead to trail 4-3 in the opening set, Monfils hit back with a break in the penultimate game to move ahead.

The second set proved slightly less dramatic for Monfils, as he broke in the first game before maintaining a lead throughout - saving two break points to ensure a 22nd ATP World Tour final.

Three of his last five titles have come in France, with his most recent being in Montpeller last year, although he will need to add to his sole win over Simon in 2012 if he is to further boost that impressive record on home soil.

Stakhovsky was responsible for the exit of second seed Stan Wawrinka in the quarter-finals and he started brightly in his last-four clash with Simon - coasting into a three-game lead for a loss of just four points.

However, fifth seed Simon hit back and levelled the match with the help of five second-set aces before breaking twice more in the final set to progress, despite wasting a match point.

It represented a third win over Stakhovsky from as many attempts, with Monfils now the only man standing in the way of Simon's first singles title since Metz in 2013.