WASHINGTON -- While rain forestalls Saturday’s second semifinal between No. 1 Gael Monfils and No. 11 John Isner, unseeded Radek Stepanek rests happily. Stepanek, who won his semifinal against Donald Young before the rains came, will have significantly more time to rest between matches.
Radek Stepanek Continues Run Of Unseeded Success At Legg Mason Tennis Classic
Additionally, Stepanek has pulled out of his doubles semifinal with Tommy Haas against the team of Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau, which had been scheduled to follow Monfils-Isner.
In recent Legg Mason Tennis Classic history, Stepanek’s run to the final as an unseeded player is hardly a rare phenomenon. He is the sixth unseeded player in eight years to make the final Sunday. What makes this statistic somewhat more surprising is the 48-player draw used at the tournament (except during the Olympic years of 2004 and 2008), which gives seeded players a bye through the first round.
Unseeded finalists haven’t fared especially well on Sunday, however, with only David Nalbandian able to win just last year.
Here’s a look at these most recent eight years of unseeded success deep into the Legg Mason Tennis Classic:
| Year | Unseeded Finalist | Legg Mason Tennis Classic Final Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Radek Stepanek | ? |
| 2010 | David Nalbandian (Wild Card) | Defeated No. 8 Marcos Baghdatis |
| 2009 | None | No. 2 Juan Martin del Potro def. No. 1 Andy Roddick |
| 2008 | Viktor Troicki | Lost to No. 2 Juan Martin del Potro |
| 2007 | John Isner (Wild Card) | Lost to No. 1 Andy Roddick |
| 2006 | None | No. 11 Arnaud Clement def. No. 8 Andy Murray |
| 2005 | James Blake | Lost to No. 1 Andy Roddick |
| 2004 | Gilles Muller | Lost to No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt |
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