Gilles Simon says that he is reviving his top form. The 29-year-old Frenchman beat Feliciano Lopez in the Shanghai semifinals to reach his first Masters final in six years. Simon will play Roger Federer in Sunday's final.

The world No. 29 is projected to reach the Top 20 next week. Simon has taken out fourth-seeded Stan Wawrinka and sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych en route to the final. Simon, who reached a career-high rank of No. 6 in 2009, said he feels stronger now.

“I feel my tennis is coming back,” Simon said. “I'm finding a better rhythm. I feel also physically stronger.  I have less injuries. I don’t know when I last beat two top 10 players in the same week.”

Simon, who lost his lone Masters final appearance to Andy Murray at the 2008 Madrid, is bidding to become the first man ranked outside the Top 20 to win a Masters title since No. 26 Ivan Ljubicic beat Andy Roddick in the 2010 Indian Wells final.

Federer has won four of their six meetings, including a five-set triumph in their last meeting at the 2013 Roland Garros. Simon's last win over the Swiss came at the 2008 Tennis Masters Cup in China.

“It’s a great memory. It's the only Masters Cup I played,” Simon said. “I played good. I had a lot of pressure playing Roger in the opening match. I finally won. Then I lost to Novak [Djokovic] in the semis. It was a really close match. Maybe if I have one regret in my career, it's this match because I felt I could have won it. But Novak was better — 7‑5 in the third — I still remember it.”