Everything looked set for a championship clash between the two Top 20 stars in the draw, but that was before Feliciano Lopez and Stephane Robert had their say.

In Saturday's semi-finals the pair dispatched the Top 2 seeds at the $442,500 tournament, No. 8 seed Robert upsetting No. 2 seed David Ferrer in his first ever match against a Top 20 player, followed by No. 3 seed Lopez ousting No. 1 seed Gael Monfils in a third set tie-break.

Now, Lopez and Robert - who are both playing Johannesburg for the very first time - will have their first career meeting in the final of an ATP World Tour event.

Lopez has been to ATP World Tour finals five times before, winning one title (Vienna in 2004) and a runner-up four times (Dubai in 2004, New Haven in 2005, Gstaad in 2006 and at Dubai in 2008).

Robert never even made it to an ATP World Tour quarter-final before this week. Robert is trying to become the second French winner of this tournament (Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won last year).

WHAT'S AT STAKE
Winner: $75,700 and 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points
Runner-up: $39,780 and 150 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points

FINALS HISTORY
Lopez: Appearing in his 6th career ATP World Tour final (1-4 in his first 5)
Robert: Appearing in his 1st career ATP World Tour final (0-0)

SUNDAY FINAL HEAD-TO-HEAD

(3) Feliciano Lopez (ESP) vs (8) Stephane Robert (FRA) First Meeting

Lopez FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
YTD W-L: 6-2
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 1
Date of Birth: September 20, 1981
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 39

* Lopez, 28, is playing his third ATP World Tour main draw of the year, falling 1st Rd. at Sydney (l. to Gasquet) and reaching 3rd Rd. at Australian Open (l. to Roddick in four sets)
* Has a 4-0 career record in Johannesburg, reaching final this year (d. qualifier Balleret in 1st Rd., Kavcic in 2nd Rd., No. 5 seed Ram in QF and No. 1 seed Monfils in SF)
* 2009 was sixth Top 50 season in last seven years, best results being SF at Shanghai (ret. vs. Nadal w/right ankle sprain) and QFs at Vienna (l. to Cilic) and Marseille (l. to Tsonga)
* Career-high ranking is No. 20 (reached January 31, 2005)

Robert FastFacts:
2010 Highlights:
YTD W-L: 6-2
YTD Titles: 0
Career Titles: 0
Date of Birth: May 17, 1980
South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking: 100

* Robert, 29, is playing his third ATP World Tour main draw of the year, reaching 2nd Rd. at Chennai (l. to Berrer) and Australian Open (l. to Montanes in five sets - was up two sets to love)
* Has a 4-0 career record in Johannesburg, reaching final this year (d. Evans in 1st Rd., WC Van der Merwe in 2nd Rd., Brown in QF and No. 2 seed Ferrer in SF)
* Had never reached an ATP World Tour QF before this week
* Career-high ranking is No. 100 (achieved this week)


DOUBLES FINAL

Rohan Bopanna (IND) / Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (PAK) vs Karol Beck (SVK) / Harel Levy (ISR)

* Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, unseeded, upset two seeded teams to get to the final: No. 2 seeds Johan Brunstrom and Jean-Julien Rojer and No. 3 seeds Eric Butorac and Rajeev Ram
* Bopanna and Qureshi's second round win over Brunstrom and Rojer ended in a default; Brunstrom missed a volley into the net to make it 9-9 in the match tie-break then tossed his racquet in frustration, and the racquet hit Bopanna on the wrist - consequently, Brunstrom was defaulted
* Bopanna and Qureshi are playing their third career ATP World Tour doubles final together (they were runners-up in both previous finals, at Mumbai in 2007 and Newport in 2008)
* Karol Beck and Harel Levy, unseeded, haven't faced a seeded team en route to the final
* Beck and Levy are playing their first career ATP World Tour doubles final together
* ATP World Tour doubles finals records: Bopanna (1-6), Qureshi (0-2), Beck (0-0), Levy (1-0)