Jeff Alson, lugging his giant water bottle up the steps of the University of Michigan Varsity Tennis Center, let out a satisfied sigh and wore an expression of reserved happiness.

It was hard to tell, as the late afternoon sun beat down on all competitors in the 91st annual Ann Arbor City Tennis Tournament, whether he was celebrating his semifinal win or just relieved that he could get some much-deserved rest.

For the second day in a row, Alson’s match ran late into the day — by the time he and Bill Woodland had finally battled through more than three hours of tennis, just a few spectators were left.

“I’ll just say this: I’m definitely getting my money’s worth,” Alson laughed as he entered the official scores. 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, which garnered No. 1 seed Alson a spot in Sunday’s championship match in the 50-59 division.

The win ensures a rematch of last year’s title bout between Alson, who has played in the tournament every year since 1981, and another local man, Terry Warner. Alson won last year.

“Last year, it was a very close match,” Alson said. “My legs are pretty tired, but I’m not in any pain, so that’s good. … I’m sure he’s tired, too, but it’s the championship, so we’ll both have plenty of adrenaline to play on.”

Alson’s semifinal win presented a unique set of difficulties — he and Woodland, another longtime competitor in the AACTT, made up a doubles team for 10 years and continue to be close friends.

And when you play tennis against one person for that long, you’re bound to pick up on each other’s idiosyncrasies.

“When you’re playing someone for the first time, you can play to your strengths, but I can’t do that with Bill,” Alson said. “I know what he’s going to try to do, and he knows what to expect from me, so you have to try new shots. It’s a whole different challenge.”

For example, Alson has a strong cross-court backhand, which he has used to his advantage all tournament. But, knowing this, Woodland cheated to that side of the court, eliminating the chance for Alson to score a winning shot with that particular move.

But Sunday, it’ll be back to square one — Alson and Warner, the No. 2 seed, have played only once before, last year’s championship.

Another defending champion, Sarah Towler, also clinched a spot in the championship, with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Amelia Buerkle in the women’s 4.0 division.

“She had a really good serve and was a really consistent player,” Towler said. “I’m pretty confident, but tomorrow’s going to be a really good match.”