Richard Gasquet reaches Qatar Open final

Second-seeded Richard Gasquet overcame German qualifier Daniel Brands 7-5, 7-5 Friday to reach the Qatar Open final.

The 10th-ranked Frenchman struggled early against the big-hitting German. Brands controlled the rallies with his forehand, often pushing Gasquet beyond the baseline.

But as the first set went on, Gasquet started mixing up his shots and eventually won the first set.

The second set was just as tight, with Brands saving a break point to even the set at 3-3. But Gasquet went up 6-5 with some strong serving and then broke the 153rd-ranked Brands with a backhand winner to win.