Federico Delbonis is final-bound after taking down the hometown hero at Open de Nice…

The 23-year-old Argentine professional tennis player, the tournament’s seventh-seeded, ousted fourth-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.

“It was a pretty good match,” Delbonis said. “Gilles always fights and he showed it in the second set when he broke me. But I took control again.”

Delbonis, who beat top-seeded John Isner in the quarterfinals, will next face Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis, the tournament’s second seed in the championship match.

“The final will be very similar to the match against Isner. Ernests has a strong service. If I am focused, I will always have a chance.”

Delbonis is 1-1 in his previous tour finals. He lifted his first title in Sao Paolo in March, after losing in Hamburg last year.