Rafael Nadal will look to win back-to-back hard-court Masters 1000 events when he takes the court on Sunday in Cincinnati. Standing in his way is surprising finalist John Isner.

Rafael Nadal and John Isner will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers when they clash in the final of the Western & Southern Open on Sunday afternoon. They have not faced each other since 2011, when Nadal survived a first-round French Open thriller 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-4. The Spaniard also took came out on top in a pair of 2010 encounters; 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 at the Indian Wells Masters and 7-5, 6-4 on the clay courts of Madrid.

Nadal, of course, is in rare hard-court form at the moment. He is 15-0 on the surface this season, with Masters titles in Indian Wells and last week in Montreal. In fact, other than his well-documented hiccup at…