John Isner will hope it’s third time lucky when he contests his third Washington, D.C. final on Sunday afternoon. Standing in his way of the title is No. 2 seed Kei Nishikori.

Kei Nishikori and John Isner will be squaring off for the second time in their careers when they battle for the Citi Open title on Sunday.

Their only previous encounter came earlier this season on the hard courts of Miami, where Isner cruised 6-4, 6-3 on his way to the semifinals. In that one, the 6’10” American lost a mere 11 points in 10 service games, did not face a single break point, and fired 13 aces without double-faulting.

“I certainly hope I can duplicate that match tomorrow,” Isner commented. “I was just swinging so free in that match, which I’m going to do tomorrow. I definitely believe I can win, because I’ve beaten him before. That was…