Dish-Houston

For the third year in a row, an American is through to the final at the US Men’s Clay Court Championship, but Sam Querrey will have a tough fight on his hands if he’s going to be the first American to win the title since 2006 when he faces Argentina’s Juan Ignacio Chela on Sunday at 2 pm.

Querrey is playing in a clay court final for the first time in his career, while Chela owns four titles on clay in his career.

However, Querrey has already tasted success in 2010, having won the title in Memphis in February over countryman John Isner. For Chela, his run this week puts him in an ATP World Tour final for the first time since he claimed the title in Acapulco in 2007.

Querrey reached the final with a 7-6(3) 1-6 7-5 win over fellow American Wayne Odesnik, while Chela defeated countryman Horacio Zeballos 7-5 6-2 to claim the title.

The last American to win the US Men’s Clay Court Championship was Mardy Fish in 2006. The last Argentine champion was Horacio de la Pena in 1993.

This will be the first meeting between Chela and Querrey. The final will begin at 2 p.m.

On Saturday night, the Bob and Mike Bryan won their third US Men’s Clay Court Championship with a 6-3 7-5 win over Stephen Huss and Wesley Moodie in a rematch of the 2005 Wimbledon final.

The twins are only the second team to have won three USMCCC titles, joining the duo of Clark Graebner and Marty Riessen.

The Bryans also now have 59 titles together, just two shy of the all-time record held by 2010 International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde.

Having not played here in 2008, the titles by the Bryans in 2007, 2009 and 2010 gives them a 12-match winning streak at the event.