July 25, 2024 (ATP)
In a rematch of last year's final, Carlos Moya made quick work of countryman
David Ferrer winning 6-1, 6-2 in just under one hour. It was the most
complete performance this week by the three-time winner here in Umag and
makes him a favorite among the final four left in the Croatia Open 2003.
Ferrer, who was coming off a three-hour match against Frenchman Jean-Rene
Lisnard on Thursday night had none of the court coverage and quickness that
normally makes him such a dangerous player and helped propel him to the
final here last year as a qualifier.
Moya's victory puts him in the semifinals opposite Spanish protege Rafael
Nadal, who won earlier in the day of Friday. The two are both from the
island of Mallorca and have practiced together frequently during the week
here in Umag. Nadal defeated Moya at the Tennis Masters Hamburg in a
surprising upset of the former World No. 1. For his part on Friday, Rafael
Nadal won a tough two-set match against resurgent Magnus Norman. Nadal was
up 3-0 early before Norman got it back on serve to 4-3, but Nadal pulled out
the set and got one break in the second to reach the first ATP semifinal of
his career.
In the last quarterfinal match of the day with two of the hottest players on
tour, Italy's Filippo Volandri won in dramatic fashion over Fernando
Gonzalez in what many are calling one of the best ATP matches on the year
and one of the best in Umag's tournament history. The two played
high-quality tennis for over two hours when Gonzalez reached match point on
Volandri's serve at 5-4, 15-40 in the third set. Upon reaching match point
Gonzalez promptly vomited three times on court while waiting to receive. It
was only last week that Gonzalez was battling a stomach virus that forced
him to retire in the semifinals of the MercedesCup last Saturday.
On the ensuing match point, Gonzalez had a short backhand with an open court
down the line, but he chose to go behind Volandri with a slice as the
Italian scampered to the ball and hit a winner. Volandri then held serve and
broke Gonzalez to serve for the match at 6-5. But Gonzalez was not done.
Crouching down after each point and clearly without an ounce of energy in
his body, Gonzalez forced the tiebreak before Volandri prevailed 7-4 to
reach his first career ATP semifinal.
In the day's other quarterfinal, Slovakia's Dominik Hrbaty reached his third
semifinal of the year -- but his first in four months since reaching the
semifinals in Casablanca in early April. He downed Alberto Martin in
straight sets.
LUCKY LOSER TUKSAR IS EXTRA LUCKY
Croatian lucky loser Sasa Tuksar went out of the 2003 Croatia Open on
Wednesday, but he collected his prize money yesterday and for that he has
Felix Mantilla to thank. Mantilla, the No. 3 seed here before withdrawing,
could have played his first round match to completion, but felt that he
would not be able to play 100% given his viral infection. Believing that the
fans here in Umag deserved an all-out effort, he graciously decided to give
up his place in the tournament -- and his possible first round prize money
-- for Tuksar, the highest-ranked player to lose in qualifying. Tuksar went
on to record his first ATP match win.
WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID
Rafael Nadal: "It was a very hard match out there. The court was playing
heavy, so it was tough but I'm happy since it's the first ATP semifinal of
my career."
about reaching first ATP semifinal
"Yeah it's an important step for me, especially after two weeks ago I had
five match points against [Nicolas Lapentti] in Bastad. So in that way, it
really is good to get into the semifinal."
about possibly playing Moya
"I think he's the favorite for sure. We've practiced a few times this week
and it is tough to beat him. For sure, he will be the favorite if we play
tomorrow."
about Umag
"It's been great, I really like it here. It's right by the sea, and I love
the sea."
about playing on Davis Cup
"Right now there are so many great Spanish players Ferrero, Moya, Costa,
Lopez, Robredo and others that I'm not even thinking about Davis Cup. I
don't think I'm at the level yet of those other guys."
Dominik Hrbaty: "It's nice to be back in the semifinals after a long season
on clay. I feel pretty good during the match."
"I had him on the run in the first set, there were some good rallies and I
didn't make too many errors. In the second, I think he was a little tired
and I kept up my level, so it was a good win for me."
Carlos Moya: "A few things happened tonight. I played the best tennis I
probably have in a few weeks and I think he was a little tired still from
his last match. I think I hit the ball well and moved him around a lot."
about being favorite
"Once you get to the semifinals, anyone can win the event. I don't think I'm
the favorite in particular, there are so many good guys left in the
tournament, Nadal, Gonzalez and anyone can win it."
about looking for revenge
"You know every week is revenge. Everyone is so good and you see the same
guys every week at tournaments so there are a lot of chances for you to beat
people you've lost to."
about playing Nadal
"We might even practice again tomorrow, I don't know, but when we step out
onto the court, I need to forget about who I'm playing and everything else.
He's going to be a top player and he's got a great future. He's going to be
around for a long time."
Filippo Volandri: "The biggest fight of my life. That's all I can say. I
don't know how I finished that. I was so tired at the start of the third set
that I couldn't imagine how I was going to focus for the whole set. Really
the match was lost, but I dug it out."
"At no point was I thinking Sampras-Corretja, but I he fought really hard."
"It's great to finally reach the semifinal after several quarterfinal
appearances, but it's not really an achievement, I'm just glad to have won."
SEMIFINALS PREVIEW
Three-time champion and top seed Carlos Moya will face off against Rafael
Nadal in a much-awaited semifinal Saturday at the 2003 Croatia Open Umag.
This is Nadal's first ATP semifinal of his career and it could not come
against a more intriguing opponent in fellow Mallorcan Moya. The two
practiced frequently together this week and their match in Hamburg was a
milestone for the 17-year-old Nadal as he defeated his older, more
experience countrymen in straight sets.
Moya, the winner of the last two Umag titles, has a 41-13 record with two
titles (Barcelona, Buenos Aires) so far in 2003. His 25-5 career mark in
Umag is an all-time best at the event and his three titles ties fellow
three-time winner Thomas Muster for most in tournament history. In fact,
Moya has said that he likes Umag so much that he would even consider coming
back here after he retires if tournament director Slavko Rasberger invites
him. Nadal, meanwhile, is playing here for the first time and fans here are
hoping that he will follow the tradition of his older countryman and return
for many years to come. Tomorrow's match-up will not be without emotion.
Moya took the loss to Nadal in Hamburg pretty hard, while Nadal himself
admitted it was tough to play someone from whom he has learned so much.
The second semifinal will pit another first-time ATP semifinalist in Filippo
Volandri against veteran Slovak Dominik Hrbaty. Volandri has had a break-out
year with quarterfinal appearances in Monte Carlo, Rome and Bastad. Now he
is in his first ATP semifinal and will likely break into the Top 50 when the
rankings come out on Monday. Volandri and Hrbaty have never faced each other
but Volandri will be urged on by the pro-Italian crowd with the Italian city
of Trieste lying just 30 minutes north of Umag. Despite his marathon
three-setter against Gonzalez, Volandri will have until late Saturday night
to recharge with the night-time start here in Umag playing to his advantage.
Carlos Moya vs. Rafael Nadal Nadal Leads 1 - 0
03 Hamburg TMS (Germany) Clay R32 Rafael Nadal 7-5 6-4
First Meeting
Dominik Hrbaty vs. Filippo Volandri
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