When two clay court specialists, take on one another on that very surface, It can sometimes be frustrating as neither of the tries to press hard. That however was not the case when second seeded Argentine Juan Monaco took on Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. The spectators were treated to some breathtaking tennis as the players put on a fantastic display.

In the end though, the Argentine prevailed after two hours and 41 minutes. The Argentine had seen a 5-1 lead disappear as Garcia-Lopez fought hard in the deciding set. Monaco finally overcame his counterpart winning 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.

“It was a crazy match. I served twice for the match and I lost many match points,” said Monaco. “I was a little disappointed. But tennis is like this. You always have a chance to win. I’m very happy the way I fought back today. I made many mistakes, but then I was focused, thinking about winning and I’m happy about that.”

Monaco already knew his opponent - Janko Tipsarevic in the final and is prepared for the challenge ahead.

“It’s a great final for the spectators. Everyone is happy here,” Monaco said. “It will be a difficult final. Janko is a great player. This year, he’s playing really well. But I like to play on clay so much. It will be a tough match and we’ll see how it goes.”

Monaco will be attempting to win his third ATP World Tour this season, after successes at the VTR Open in Vina del Mar (Berlocq) and the US Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston (d. Isner). He has a 27-9 season record.