There are no surprises anymore when Cecil Mamiit and Lester Cook step on the court to play one another.

Over the last three years the two men have battled one another around the world, with each player having his share of success.

The latest chapter will take place today at Libbey Park, in the final of the Men's Open division at The 108th Ojai.

Mamiit defeated No. 1 seed Brian Wilson 7-6 (1), 7-6 (2).

Lester defeated former Camarillo standout Travis Rettenmaier 6-4, 1-6, 7-5. It was a rematch of last year's Men's Open final, which Lester also won.

The 2005 Men's Open final pitted Mamiit and Lester, with Mamitt winning 6-3, 6-2.

More recently, the two men have played twice in the last year, splitting Challenger matches in Valencia and Canada.

"We play each other so much there are no surprises," said Lester, who will attempt to win his second straight Men's Open title.

Mamiit is coming back from a knee injury that caused his world ranking to plummet. The knee is now healed. During the first three days of The Ojai, Mamiit believes his game and confidence have continued to get better.

"I'm starting to play better and better. I'm starting to believe in my game again," Mamitt said. "There have been big points in all of my matches that I'm not capitalizing on all the time, but I'm getting better."

Both semifinals were filled with excitement, especially the battle between Lester and Rettenmaier. Both players have similar attacking styles, making for plenty of entertaining points.

"That is the kind of match you hope to play in and hope to compete in," Lester said. "I had a good attitude out there. I kept smiling. The crowd was into it; it was a great atmosphere."

Mamitt has played in most of the sport's biggest events, including Wimbledon and the U.S Open. He said it's hard to compare those events with The Ojai.

"Emotionally when you go to a Grand Slam event, you feel like that is where you want to be. That is what you train for," Mamitt said. "This is more of the emotion. This is my roots; it's where I came from. It's more personal."

Mamiit is hoping to add another memory after today's final.

Papa Bear: You may not know Dale Oates' face, but if you've been to The Ojai you know his voice. The Studio City resident is known at The Ojai for his booming voice during Cal matches. Including his catch phrase, "Let's Go Bears."

Affectionately knows as "Papa Bear" among Cal players and coaches, Oates has no affiliation to Cal, but attends every Cal home or away dual match and travels to nationals, invitationals and regionals.

He was in his usual form as he rooted on Cal's Claire Ilcinkas in her semifinal match against UCLA's Riza Zalameda.

"This is my 12th year following the Bears," Oates said. "It keeps me breathing. I try to instill some spirit in them. I can't get enough of them."

Community colleges: Saturday's intense heat took its toll on Ventura College's Hassan Abbas during his men's singles semifinal at the Ojai Valley Athletic Club.

Abbas, the No. 6 seed, won the first set 6-3 against Riverside's Daniel Coelho and was two points from victory when he began suffering cramps. Coelho, seeded No. 2, rallied to win the second set 7-5 and Abbas could only play one point of the third set before having to retire.

"It's unfortunate, (Abbas) was playing well," said Nelson Emery, Abbas' coach at VC.

Earlier in the day, Abbas defeated third-seeded Evan Jurgensen in the quarterfinals, 6-2, 6-3.