Moya, Guga Set Semifinal Showdown

[esnique (小鱷)]

http://www.atptennis.com/en/newsandscores/news/news/buenosaires5.asp
FEB. 21, 2003

Moya, Guga Set Semifinal Showdown

Superstar former World No. 1's to clash;
Argentines Gaudio, Coria will battle for place in final.

Setting up a tantalizing semifinal battle of former Roland Garros champions,
Brazil's Gustavo Kuerten and Spain's Carlos Moya won their quarterfinal matches
at the Copa AT&T on Friday, joining local favorites Gaston Gaudio and Guillermo
Coria in the final four.

The sixth-seeded Kuerten overcame a mid-match lapse to defeat Spaniard Felix
Mantilla, 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-1. Winner at Roland Garros in 1997, 2000 and 2001, the
26-year-old from Florianopolis, Brazil, captured the title at Buenos Aires in
2001. No. 1 seed Moya, who captured his only Grand Slam title at Roland Garros
in 1998, prevailed in a tight battle against Peruvian No. 1 Luis Horna, 6-7(4)
, 6-3, 7-5. Moya won the first of his 11 career titles at Buenos Aires in 1995,
defeating Mantilla in the final.

In a pair of all-Argentine quarterfinal matches, the fourth-seeded Gaudio
overcame No. 5 Juan Ignacio Chela, 6-3, 6-4, while No. 8 Coria ousted second
seed David Nalbandian, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) in a dramatic clash. Gaudio reached the
semifinals in his only other appearance in Buenos Aires in 2001, defeating
Coria in the quarterfinals. Coria ousted 2002 Wimbledon finalist Nalbandian by
digging out from a 3-5 deficit in the third-set tie-break, winning the last
four points to clinch the match.


WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID:

Kuerten: "It was a very different day from yesterday, not only in terms of my
play but also my attitude. I have the confidence to reach the final and be one
of the favorites."
"I became more aggressive and took the initiative at the important moments. I
took risks at the appropriate moments, and this led me to win the match."


Gaudio: "Today was my best match of the tournament. The difference from the
others is that today I was able to have the same attitude that I always play
with in Davis Cup."
About his prospects for improving his ranking:
"The year has just recently begun, and I have to take advantage of the
tournaments that I didn't play last year in order to gain a lot of points."

Coria: "It was important to be very focused in the third-set tiebreak. When I
was down 5-3, I clenched my fists and went back to playing the way I did in the
second set. It was a very tight match, with little margin for error."
"Gaudio is very tough, but right now I'm not thinking about him. I'm only
enjoying having beaten a Top-10 player. It's one of the most beautiful joys."
About his new coach:
"Alberto Mancini is supporting me very much, and I'm very happy with his work."

Nalbandian: "Neither one of us brought our best game today. It was a very tight
match with a lot of tension and many errors. I think it was emotional. The tie
-break could have gone either way, and it went to him."
"Every match between two Argentines is tough. With Guillermo maybe it's
special, because we go way back."



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