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2/18/08 12:16 AM | Cheryl Murray
Nicolas Almagro defeats Carlos Moya to win his first title of 2008.
This match was every bit as fabulous as the scoreline suggests; it was competitive and entertaining until the very last point. The outcome was completely on Moya's racket. Except for a period of time in the second set, Moya was clearly having trouble with the pace of Almagro's ground strokes. More often than not, the veteran Spaniard was camped out 2 meters behind the baseline, running down forehands. It was an effective strategy from Almagro; every match Moya played en route to the final was a three set affair. Almagro was targeting the legs of Moya.
Moya jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first set, but at 2-4 Almagro came roaring back. He used fantastic angles to force Moya off court and out of position. A couple of loose forehands from Moya gave Almagro 15-40. Almagro shanked a return for 30-40, but broke on the next point to get back to 3-4. Moya had to fight off 2 more break points at 4-4, but both men eventually held serve to take the set to a tiebreak. Almagro played an excellent tie break, taking advantage of a double fault from Moya and another forehand dumped into the net. First set Almagro.
Losing the first set did not seem to get affect Moya's game. Once again, he started the set strong, breaking Almagro at 2-2. He had two break points against him on his next serve but held strong. Moya was able to dictate play much better in the second; he used his big forehand to his advantage better, and Almagro felt the sting. Moya earned a double break to take the set at 6-3.
The third set served as a fitting end to this great match. Moya relied on his determination more than his skill to keep it competitive. Almagro had him, once again, pinned well behind the baseline. As a result, Moya began to make more forehand errors and at 4-4, Almagro broke and had an opportunity to serve for the match. Moya wasn't ready to give up yet; on his second break point chance he broke back to level the match at 5-5. Almagro would prove to be too strong though; he broke back again for 6-5, then served the match out.
Mental toughness from both players made this match a real pleasure to watch
I can find nothing in this match to complain about
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Did you know that... Andre Agassi is the only player to be ranked in the top 10 in 3 different decades.
Avalaine, Dec 4, 2008 4:32 AM
ravikiran, Dec 4, 2008 3:49 AM
kaitepai, Dec 3, 2008 10:59 PM
kaitepai, Dec 3, 2008 10:02 PM
janhavi, Dec 3, 2008 2:51 PM
Avalaine, Dec 3, 2008 10:15 PM
Casper, Dec 2, 2008 8:23 PM
Casper, Dec 2, 2008 8:02 PM
Carlos Moya
Nicolas Almagro
Brasil Open
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