A blockbuster showdown between David Ferrer and Gael Monfils will headline the semifinal proceedings in Vienna on Saturday. The other match is set to feature Steve Johnson and Ernests Gulbis.

(1) David Ferrer vs. (6) Gael Monfils

Ferrer and Monfils will be squaring off for the sixth time in their careers when they collide in the semifinals of the Erste Bank Open on Saturday. Monfils is leading the head-to-head series 3-2, but Ferrer has won two of their three previous hard-court encounters. The two veterans most recently faced each other on the indoor hard courts of Valencia in 2013, when the Spaniard prevailed 6-3, 6-2. Monfils’ last victory over Ferrer came via a 6-4, 2-6, 7-5, 1-6, 8-6 decision in round four of the 2011 French Open.

Ferrer is surging toward the World Tour Finals thanks to a convincing bounce-back from an elbow injury. The eighth-ranked Spaniard missed Wimbledon and almost the entire American summer…