One wields his racquet like a surgeon's scalpel, the other a blacksmith's mallet ...
Today's Heineken Open singles final promises an intriguing contrast of styles between wily French veteran Arnaud Clement and up-and-coming American John Isner.
In yesterday's semifinals, Clement dispatched former champion and fifth seed Phillipp Kohlschreiber of Germany 6-3 7-6(2), while Isner overpowered eight-seeded Spaniard Albert Montanes 6-2 7-6(5)
In the opening match, Isner looked to be cruising towards victory as he broke Montanes twice in the first set and had several opportunities to steal a march in the second.
But the plucky Spaniard, probably underrated due to his comparatively easy passage to the semis, showed his fighting qualities.
He could not force any break opportunities of his own, but dragged the match into an inevitable (for Isner) tiebreak and briefly held the upper hand with a point against serve for 3-2.
"He competes well," said Isner. "Anyone who gets to this stage of a the tournament won't go away easily.
"I wanted to go up 2-0 in the second set really badly and when it didn't happen, I got a little down emotionally."
But the American scored off both Montanes' next two serves to seize back the initiative and had another minibreak for match point, which he duly converted.
Isner's only previous ATP final was as a tour rookie in 2007, eventually losing to compatriot Andy Roddick on hardcourt at Washington.
"That was really my first tournament, I had never been in that situation and I was playing a guy who had been there numerous times," recalled Isner.
"This time, I 'm a lot more prepared, I'm a lot better player and really deserve to be at this stage."
The other semifinal promised much, with Kohlschreiber passing through the tournament untested and Clement scrapping his way past an array of higher-ranked rivals.
While it lasted 20 minutes longer, the contest was something of an anti-climax with Kohlschreiber, perhaps surprisingly, also unable to challenge his opponent's serve. Like Clement's previous victims, the German became increasingly frustrated at his inability to make an impression and imploded somewhat.
"For me, this was a very very good match," explained Clement. 'I didn't play like this for a long time ... for sure, my best match this year."
Now, he must find a way to wear down a player who has shown his ability to win long matches, but may be suffering from having three two-hour contests this week.
"For me, it is going to be hard to beat him, but if I play like I played today, I think I have a chance."
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