Blake returns to all-American final

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A winner of this event in 2005, Blake found himself on the ropes in Thursday's third-round action against number 16 Agustin Calleri before forging an impressive come-from-behind win.

The turning point in the 3-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 victory occurred in the second set, where Blake forged a 5-5 tie after saving three match points.

The world's sixth-ranked player then rolled past 12th-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in Thursday evening's quarter-final.

A native of nearby Fairfield, Blake has been the recipient of much fan support here as evident by the rambunctious "J-Block" cheering section at the Connecticut Tennis Center.

Regardless of his fans, the 27-year-old appears to be finding his game heading into next week's US Open. His success here comes a week after he reached the final at Cincinnati before losing to world number one Roger Federer.

Mathieu, who has won titles at Gstaad and Casablanca this season, proved to be a difficult opponent for Blake in the first meeting between the two. He split the first two sets with the American and was even at 3-3 in the third before Blake won the next two games.

A late rally by Mathieu knotted the match, but Blake was too much in the end, setting up an all-American final with wild card Mardy Fish, who defeated No. 11 Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 in the midday heat.

With the on-court temperature hovering at 103 degrees, Fish nearly dropped the first set but broke the hard-serving Croatian to knot things at 5-5 before going on to win the tiebreak.

The 25-year-old earned the only break of the second set, to take a 4-3 edge, en route to the win.