Today?s semi-final of the XL Capital Bermuda Open provides Stephane Robert with the perfect opportunity for revenge.

Last week he was bundled out of the Houston ATP tournament by Luis Horna in the second round despite taking the first set off the Peruvian 6-0.

This afternoon they meet again on Coral Beach?s clay turf to duel for a place in tomorrow?s Open final and, after some inspired performances this week, Frenchman Robert believes it won?t be case of d?j? vu.

?Last week I lost against him in three sets so I hope it will be different this week. I think I took a big step last week with the first set and I think I can do better,? said the young man who has fought his way through three qualifying and three main-draw encounters to be one of the final four standing.

Robert earned his semi-final passage with a splendid straight-sets win over Argentine Juan Monaco, ousting the latter 6-1, 7-5.

?I played a great match. The conditions were perfect, no wind and good temperature and I played really well,? said the 23-year-old with a smile that emphasised just how thrilled he was.

While the first set was a breeze with his rocket-like groundstrokes being too much for his 20-year-old rival to handle, the second required more work and sweat ? but Robert certainly didn?t want to go to a third.

So, on his last opportunity and with a prospects of a tie-breaker looming, he achieved the vital break against Monaco and with it closed the match.

?The second set was more difficult physically because there were more rallies and the points were longer.

?It was important for my confidence that I finish in two sets,? he said, adding that it also afforded him more time to rest before seeing Horna across the net for the second time in as many weeks.

One aspect of the Robert-Monaco match which the centre-court crowd especially appreciated ? and applauded ? was the sporting manner in which it was contested with both players overruling line judges? calls to concede particular points. In Monaco?s case, it was a point which sealed the first set for the rampant Robert.

Meanwhile, tournament heartthrob Martin Vassallo Arguello also progressed to the semi-finals and enhanced his claim as the comeback kid of the 2004 Open.

The Argentina-born Italian steadily clawed his way back from a set down against Jan Frode Andersen of Norway to prevail 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2.

Exhibiting the maturity to put disputed line calls behind him, the Latin lad paved his path to the final four systematically, dismantling the foundations of Andersen?s game and forcing a variety of errors from the increasingly flustered loser.

While the ladies have been grading his looks, true fans of the sport would have had to mark Arguello high on his complete game and his defiance in the face of adversity.

The strength of either player?s game gave the other little room for inroads in the first set which duly went to a tie-breaker. Andersen, whose precision in ball placement has been a hallmark of his attacking approach, took the first three points and never looked back, wrapping up the deadlock at 7-4 without conceding a point on serve.

Arguello shrugged off his disappointment and immediately began plotting ? not for the first time this week ? how he would get back into contention. While one could see greater intensity in his strategy and strokes early in the second set it still took a while before his labour came to fruition.

In the seventh and ninth games, 24-year-old Arguello finally converted break points while Andersen broke back inbetween. However, with a break still in his favour, Arguello pressed home his advantage to even things at a set apiece.

The momentum continued shifting his way in the third set and, with Andersen?s temperament and strokes deteriorating further and further, it was just a matter of time. A tired and wayward backhand ended Andersen?s bitter experience.

?I feel horrible. At this level you cannot afford to give matches away. When you give matches like that away, it?s better to be doing something else.

?I don?t know if I got cocky in the second set but I felt there was no way I would lose. I lost focus and I think I was more impatient because I was tired. He is a good player so he capitalised on that,? said a dejected Andersen.

On an emotional high, Arguello said he never lost faith in his game though he was upset to drop a tough first set.

?I was playing very well. I liked how I was playing but he was serving very well so it was very difficult for me to break him. I knew the tiebreak would be very difficult because when I served I had to fight for every point and when he served he was giving me no chances,? he explained.

This necessitated another plan of attack, he noted.

?I had to look for another way of breaking him so I changed my return and I tried to return a bit deeper into the court so he would receive the ball faster and that helped me because he had less time to move me or to put pressure on me. So in the second and third sets this gave me chances to break him.?

However, Arguello said he remained cautious in the deciding set though 4-1 up as he knew Andersen would throw everything at him

?I knew he was going to risk a lot. I did the same thing on Wednesday when I was losing 5-2 (in the third set) so I knew what he would do but once I got to 5-1 I really felt I could not lose.?