Gael Monfils faces John Isner for a place in the Legg Mason Classic final tonight.
Isner continued his recent good form by taking out third seed Viktor Troicki 7-6, 3-6, 6-1 in the quarters. Troicki had never had much trouble with Isner in the past but after a prolonged spell of inactivity it was the American who looked the sharper of the two.
"When we got into that third set, I told myself I need to try and get ahead, with a 0-15, or 15-30 [lead on Troicki's serve]. If I can do that, I kind of know that my opponent will feel pressure, and that's what happened in the second game of the third set," he said.
He will be looking to make his second straight final today after enjoying a good week in Atlanta a fortnight ago but standing in the way is top seed Gael Monfils who has rarely performed well in the US Open Series events in the past.
However Monfils has impressed everyone in Washington, seeing off Janko Tipsarevic with consummate ease 6-4, 6-4 on Friday and he is well aware of what he needs to do against Isner.
"I need to focus on my serve, as it will be very important to [hold] it," he assessed. "I also have to be relaxed as playing against John is tough, because he gets so many free points. quick points. When I get an opportunity [to break], I need to take it."
Isner leads 3-2 on the head-to-head, actually beating Monfils 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 on the way to the Washington final in 2007. Most of their matches have featured at least one tiebreak so it's likely to be another one of those high octane serving encounters.
